“We Earned Just One Ruble”: Russian Farmers Struggle as Potato Prices Plunge Below Cost

Potato farmers in Russia’s Rostov region are facing a severe profitability crisis due to extremely low procurement prices, according to Nikolay Yuzefov, a farmer from Semikarakorsky District speaking to donnews.ru. The current production cost stands at 20 rubles per kilogram, but farmers need prices of at least 23–26 rubles to achieve a viable margin. Last season, the average selling price was just 21 rubles per kilogram, meaning farmers earned a symbolic profit of only one ruble per kilogram. Aleksey Krasilnikov, head of the Potato Union, confirmed that the 2025 season was disappointing for domestic growers, with a harvest of nearly 8.5 million tons and prices hovering around cost levels of 19–20 rubles throughout the season.

As of April 2026, the situation remains bleak, with domestic potato prices at their lowest since 2020–2021. According to Rosstat, potato stockpiles among leading Russian producers are nearly 1.5 times higher than at the same time last year, while imported potatoes are 2.5–3 times more expensive yet still crowd out domestic products on retail shelves. In response, the Potato Union has proposed introducing a minimum purchase price of 30–60 rubles per kilogram for retail chains and has submitted a request to the Federal Antimonopoly Service (FAS), though the proposal remains under discussion. Meanwhile, farmers from the Novgorod and Vladimir regions have complained to the State Duma that major chains such as X5, Lenta, and Magnit have sharply reduced purchases of Russian potatoes since March, switching to fresh imports from Egypt, Azerbaijan, and China. Growers warn that without state support and guaranteed sales, rising debt and bankruptcies threaten food security, as farmers produce more than half of Russia’s vegetables.