After Vladimir Putin's conversation with representatives of the agricultural sector, it became known about the shortage of potatoes and sugar beet in Russia. In response to the president's statement, the Ministry of Agriculture, together with potato growers, held a major meeting to develop a strategy to eliminate the shortage, according to the Potato Union.
Alexei Krasilnikov, Executive Director of the Potato Union, spoke on the air of the Public News Service about the measures taken. According to the Ministry of Agriculture, the area under potatoes in the commercial sector for 2025 was initially planned to increase by 6.5 thousand hectares, but now the forecasts have been adjusted to 10 thousand hectares. With an average yield of 25 tons per hectare, it can provide a harvest of about 250 thousand tons of potatoes, which will exceed last year's figure.
Krasilnikov noted that by May, Russia had supplied about 500 thousand tons of potatoes, reflecting deliveries from previous periods. He estimated that imports in 2025 are unlikely to exceed one million tons, but will surpass the figures of previous years.
The expert on the air of the Public News Service also drew attention to the reduction in supplies from Belarus. Earlier the republic was the second largest exporter of potatoes to the Russian market, but this season its exports have decreased by about a third due to the restrictions on exports.
Earlier, the analyst named the reasons for the reduction in potato supply. In addition, in the Irkutsk region, quarantine was imposed on 4,000 hectares of land due to the golden nematode that affects potatoes.