For Russians Developed A Way To Grow Potatoes In Apartments After The Rise In Price By Almost 200%
- 26.06.2025, 19:23
"Know-how" was presented at the Russian Academy of Sciences.
In the Russian Academy of Sciences came up with a way to quickly grow potatoes at home. "Know-how" presented scientists of the St. Petersburg Federal Research Center of the Russian Academy of Sciences, writes "RIA Novosti". According to them, the method does not require expensive reagents and special equipment. "We have developed an approach that allows you to protect potato tubers from infections and grow them in the conditions of an apartment, house or dacha plot," said senior researcher of the Novgorod Research Institute of Agriculture Nikolai Semchuk.
He did not specify what exactly is the essence of the innovation, but emphasized that the technology allows you to get enough tubers in a short time. The RAS also noted that a person has enough 600 grams of potatoes a day to fully meet the need for vitamins. According to Rosstat, by the end of 2024, potatoes have become the most expensive product - their prices have soared by almost 92%. The product is becoming less and less affordable, so Russians are switching to pasta and cereals. By the end of May, potatoes have risen in price by 173% year-on-year - this is the maximum for 23 years of available official statistics. Its average retail price reached 91.77 rubles per 1 kg.
Because of the threat of potato shortages from January 2025, the government opened duty-free imports from "friendly" countries, and in April, Deputy Speaker of the State Duma Boris Chernyshov proposed to introduce temporary state regulation of retail prices for the product.
May 26, the issue of providing Russians with potatoes was raised at a meeting of Russian dictator Vladimir Putin with representatives of business circles. He urged to make purchases in Belarus, as "there are great potato specialists there," but this country has faced a similar problem due to crop failure caused by unfavorable weather conditions.
According to the May data of Rosselkhoznadzor, imports of potatoes from Belarus from the beginning of 2025 halved compared to the same period last year and amounted to 32 thousand tons. At the same time, the total volume of imports of root crops to Russia has more than tripled and reached 548 thousand tons. The main suppliers were Egypt and China.
In Russia, due to frost and drought last year harvested 7.3 million tons of potatoes - 1.2 million tons less than a year earlier. At the same time, the head of the Ministry of Agriculture Oksana Lut estimated domestic consumption at 8 million tons.