Russia: Heavy Rain in the Urals and Drought in Siberia Shape an Uneven Potato Harvest, With About 8 Million Tonnes Expected

Russian farmers expect to harvest about 8 million tonnes of potatoes in 2026. This is about 6% less than the near-record crop of 8.5 million tonnes in 2025. The estimate comes from the executive director of the Potato Union, Alexey Krasilnikov, in an interview with the regional outlet Yamal-Media. The interview was reported on 22 September.

According to him, harvesting is now in full swing in the Central and Volga federal districts. These are the main potato regions of the country. The expected volume should be enough for the domestic market, he said. However, the season is very uneven across the country.

In the Urals, heavy rain fell for most of the summer. Waterlogged soil kept farms out of the fields, and some plantings were damaged. An emergency regime was declared in 37 municipalities of the Sverdlovsk region. The regime allows farmers to claim insurance payments and state support.

The latest figures show the delay. By 23 September, farms in the Ural Federal District had harvested 294,000 tonnes of potatoes, according to the press service of the presidential envoy. In the whole of 2025, the district harvested almost 693,000 tonnes. A smaller crop is expected this year because of the rain. In the Chelyabinsk region, 37% of the potato area had been harvested by 22 September. The average yield there was 21.3 tonnes per hectare, according to regional operational data.

Siberia had the opposite problem. In the Novosibirsk region and the Krasnoyarsk territory, there was not enough rain for about two months during the growing season. Yields there are below the planned level. According to the Potato Union, supplies from the Volga and Central regions will cover the shortfall. Long-distance transport will add to the cost of potatoes in winter.

Prices are falling as the new crop reaches the market. Official statistics show that retail potato prices fell by 3.4% in the week of 15–21 September, the news agency Interfax reported. Our report on the 3.1% fall in the previous week was published on 21 September.

Other estimates of the crop are lower. The analytical centre AB-Centre estimated the 2026 harvest in commercial farms at 7.5 million tonnes, compared with 8.48 million tonnes in 2025. FreshPlaza reported this estimate on 7 September. The difference between the two estimates has not been explained.

Why it matters

Russia is one of the largest potato producers in the world. A smaller and uneven crop makes storage and transport between regions more important. The final figure will show how large the stocks are for the winter and spring.

Photo: Potato field near the village of Kharino, Tula region, Russia (illustrative). Валдес Иванов / Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 3.0