In Russia, the price of vegetables has risen sharply

Rosstat traditionally updated the index of weekly prices in the food market. In fact, weekly statistics are not very revealing: most prices, if they change, then by fractions of a percent, from which the average consumer is neither warm nor cold. So in the last week of January, prices increased by an average of 0.2% – you won’t notice without a magnifying glass. Against this background, vegetables stand out sharply, which in just seven days rushed up by quite tangible 3-4, or even 7-8%.

Is the history of last year repeating itself, when at the end of winter and beginning of spring, the anomalous cost of a borscht set terrified buyers? “MK” decided to monitor prices on the shelves.

– Here, now I received a text message from the supermarket, – smiling happily, the woman-customer says, – Today there is a discount for butter in the store. It’s just terribly expensive, a 200-gram pack costs 210 rubles. And today they sell a promotion for 135 rubles, I will buy three packs at once.

A small queue of the same lucky people (for some reason, all of them are women) has already lined up at the sales counter with dairy products, who also received an SMS about a discount. They, like my interlocutor, taking advantage of the “opportune moment”, will also stock up for future use …

In the meantime, I write off the prices on the trading shelves. Bulk potatoes cost 24 rubles a kilogram, a week ago it was 19. Nearby are the same tubers, but in nets and washed: 55 scars. Onions 34 rubles, on my last visit a week ago it was sold for 18 rubles.

Interestingly, according to the calculations of Rosstat, poultry meat fell in price by about one percent from January 24 to 30. But my store has its own statistics: a month and a half ago, a chicken carcass cost 160-180 rubles a kilo. And now this very “cheaper” carcass – with a price tag of 200-230 rubles.

Beef – generally 699 rubles.

– Who only buys it? – housewives are indignant, – it would be better if they didn’t bring it to stores at all!

Everything shows that you want beef, but it’s too expensive. Especially against the background of the pork ham, which lies nearby – 240 rubles …

I remember that back in December, on the eve of the New Year holidays, trade kept food prices to the last of its strength and officially announced that there would be no rise in price in January, because this is the “dead season”, no one goes to stores, people simply have no money .

However, according to official statistics, everything is calm on the consumer market today. According to Rosstat, from January 24 to January 30, the consumer price index amounted to 0.21%. In particular, during this period, half-smoked sausages rose in price by 0.8%, pasta by 0.6%, lamb and cottage cheese by 0.3%, beef, frozen fish, milk with margarine – by 0.1%. There are even products (among them everyone’s favorite buckwheat, chicken meat and granulated sugar) that have fallen in price by 0.3-1.3%.

Calm, and more! But you and I are looking for storms. And it looks like it’s on its way.

The overall picture is spoiled by statistics on the growth in prices for fruits and vegetables. In general and on average, inflation in this sector increased by 3.5% over the week. These numbers look, maybe not scary, but we emphasize that this is an increase in just one week!

In particular, the price of potatoes rose by 2%, carrots by 3.4%, cucumbers by 7.6%, onions added almost 8% over the past seven days…

– Dashing trouble is the beginning, – an experienced housewife will say, recalling with an unkind word the price pandemonium of a year ago. – It’s only the beginning?

Indeed, exactly one year ago, as if by magic, food prices went up uncontrollably. Most of all – on vegetables, and the same onion acted as a driver, or in a simple way. Already in March 2022, Rosstat noted that its price had increased by as much as 70%.

I don’t want to think that last year’s price anomaly will repeat itself. After all, then a special military operation began, the ruble fell (and did not immediately wring out), new anti-Russian sanctions were launched …

Could last year’s nightmare in the food market be repeated today?

We asked an expert about this – Dmitry Valigursky, Doctor of Economics and current farmer.

“Our economy has largely adapted to Western sanctions,” he says. “Besides, the Russians have become more pragmatic, last year personal subsidiary farms “woke up”, which gives an additional harvest to the market. And our domestic ruble, despite the pressure, shows relative stability. There are no prerequisites for a repetition of last year’s dynamics and no “spiral of inflation” and is not close.

– And why exactly vegetables “run ahead of the locomotive” and drag along the rise in prices for other products?

We use them the most. In addition, there is such a thing as seasonality. We have gathered a good harvest, but we are not able to save it until the autumn, until the new harvest, there are no modern storage facilities. I think that until spring, when imported vegetables come to us, domestic potatoes and root crops will rise in price by another 10-15 percent.