Russia fires deputy minister after potato prices soar to record 173%
The price of vegetables and food products has risen sharply in Russia, and against this backdrop, the Deputy Minister of Agriculture of the Russian Federation, Maxim Titov, has been dismissed. This is reported by The Moscow Times.
According to Rosstat, last year food inflation in Russia set a nine-year record (11.05%), and at the beginning of 2025, price growth in the country accelerated again.
Vegetable prices rose the most. Potato prices rose by 173% year-on-year, a record for the entire period of official statistics.
Onions in Russia have become more expensive by 41%, cabbage by 28%, butter by 34%. Apples have increased in price by 20%, fish by 25%, dairy products by 18%, and bread by 15%.
Against this backdrop, Deputy Minister of Agriculture of the Russian Federation Maxim Titov left his post "at his own request." The reasons for the official's dismissal are not given.
In October 2024, due to record price increases, Russia reduced import duties on vegetables to zero. But even Deputy Prime Minister Dmitry Patrushev admitted that these measures were introduced too late.
At the same time, sociological surveys show that Russians perceive inflation quite sharply. According to the survey, they perceive price increases at 30%, not 11%, as official statistics claim.
The Russian Ministry of Agriculture explains the sharp rise in prices by the fact that the country's own vegetable stocks have almost run out, and now it has to rely only on imports.
- Spring frosts destroyed more than 50% of the cherry crop . Analysts predict that prices will soar in 2025.
- Belarus allowed potato imports from the EU amid a deficit because "everything was sold to Russia."
