Russia: Retail Potato Prices Fall 3.4% in One Week as Harvest Advances
Rosstat recorded a 3.4% weekly fall in retail potato prices on 15-21 September, after a 3.1% drop the week before, as new-crop supply reaches shops.
Retail potato prices in Russia keep falling as the new crop reaches the market. In the week of 15-21 September, potatoes became 3.4% cheaper.
The data come from the federal statistics service Rosstat, as reported by Interfax and other outlets on 23-24 September.
The week before, on 8-14 September, potato prices fell by 3.1%. Fruit and vegetable prices as a whole fell by 1.0% that week and by 1.6% in the following week.
Weekdays. Unsubscribe in one click.
Potatoes led the decline among vegetables on 15-21 September. Cabbage fell by 3.3% and carrots by 3.0%.
Farm-gate prices also lower
Producer prices started to fall earlier. As of 2 September, the average producer price was 26.3 roubles per kilogram, according to the Ministry of Agriculture, as reported by Vedomosti.
That was 12.3% lower than a month earlier.
The average retail price in mid-September was 82.78 roubles per kilogram, according to Yamal-Media, republished by the Potato Union.
Smaller crop but enough supply
Russia expects to harvest about 8 million tonnes of potatoes in commercial farms in 2026. That is about 6% less than the 8.5 million tonnes of 2025.
Alexey Krasilnikov, executive director of the Potato Union, said this volume will be sufficient for the domestic market. He said drought in eastern regions may affect shelf prices and quality somewhat, but not critically.
Irina Karapetova of the Financial University expects prices to fall by 15-30% from the level of late August and early September. Experts cited by Rambler expect the lowest prices in October and November.
Why it matters
Seasonal price falls are normal in September. The speed of the decline shows that the new crop is ample in central Russia despite a smaller national forecast. Growers selling from the field now face low prices. Those with good storage can wait for the usual rise toward winter and spring. Retailers and processors can buy at lower cost in the coming weeks.
Photo: Potatoes on sale at Danilovsky Market, Moscow (illustrative). Andrey Filippov / Wikimedia Commons, CC BY 2.0
