Vegetable picture: carrots and beets have risen in price to a record
Carrots and beets have risen in price among all vegetables since the beginning of the year. As of July 7, their cost increased by 62.6 and 62.4%, respectively, while, for example, potatoes — by 48.47%, according to Rosstat data analyzed by Izvestia. Carrots also showed the largest increase in value in the first week of July, and in some regions there is a shortage. Industry representatives attribute the problem to the position of retail chains: Instead of products from local producers, they focus on imports, and as a result, Russian farms are reducing production. The Ministry of Agriculture also explained the situation by the impact of import supplies, but noted that the new crop should lead to lower prices.
Why are carrots and beets getting more expensive
Carrots and beets topped the list of the most expensive vegetables since the beginning of this year. According to Rosstat data on July 7, their cost increased to 62.6 and 62.4%, respectively, while the price of potatoes, which previously occupied the first place, became more expensive by 48.47%.
But if the prices of beets and potatoes in the first week of July showed a slight decrease — by 3.8 and 2.6%, respectively, then carrots, according to statistics, continued to rise in price — by 4.5%. In some regions, for example, in Udmurtia, the increase in prices for it amounted to 14.5%, and in some regions there is a shortage of vegetables.
So, in the Kemerovo region, the authorities explained his absence to the residents by saying that last year's harvest had ended in the region. Residents of Bashkiria also complained about the shortage of carrots.
The complexity of the price situation is recognized by large agricultural industry associations.
— Indeed, there is a problem of high prices for borscht vegetables, in particular for carrots. They are produced mainly by small forms of farming (peasant, farmer or personal). Accordingly, the production volumes of each of them are small. There was a period, including in the covid years, when the Ministry of Agriculture stimulated the cultivation of vegetables, provided subsidies, and farmers increased their volumes. However, they were unable to sell the crop, as they were unable to enter retail chains that need suppliers with large regular volumes," Olga Bashmachnikova, vice president of the Association of Peasant (Farmer) Farms (AKKOR), explained to Izvestia.
According to her, as a result, the networks signed long-term import contracts. And, despite the increase in carrot production in previous years in the country, farmers have now significantly reduced the area of crops under it, said Bashmachnikova.
— This also applies to other vegetables, in particular cabbage. Therefore, dependence on imported supplies has increased now," Olga Bashmachnikova noted.
According to her, significantly fewer carrots have been planted in Russia this year. However, forecasts for the new harvest are still premature — much will ultimately depend on the influence of the weather, which is still very capricious.
— Indeed, carrots are very expensive now, although a lot of them were harvested last year. But since the price during harvesting was approximately equal to the cost and even lower, the enterprises did not spend money on its storage, especially since the retail chains brought 50 thousand tons of imported vegetables before the new year," Babken Ispiryan, deputy chairman of the council of the People's Farmer Association, explained to Izvestia.
According to him, the situation with beets and potatoes is almost the same.
The People's Farmer Association told Izvestia that without long-term relationships between retail chains and manufacturers, these price hikes will be permanent. They noted that they had already contacted the Ministry of Industry and Trade and held a meeting on this issue with his participation and representatives of the networks. But, unfortunately, sellers are not yet ready to meet farmers halfway, the association said.
Stanislav Bogdanov, Chairman of the Presidium of the Association of Retail Trade Companies, said that currently there is a seasonal increase in the cost of carrots against the background of the end of stocks of last year's harvest and on the eve of the arrival of a new one.
— Every year, the cost of carrots reaches a peak by mid-July, and then begins to decline. The increase in purchase prices for carrots this year was additionally influenced by an inflationary increase in the costs of Russian producers and an accelerated reduction in stocks in the domestic market due to a lower harvest in 2024. More than 70% of the assortment of carrots in large retail chains is supplied by Russian farms, while imports account for 25-30%," he explained to Izvestia.
According to him, in July this indicator will begin to decrease as the domestic harvest increases, and with it prices will go down.
— Federal retail chains have been restraining carrot prices — over the past three months, the cheapest carrot items have been sold below the purchase price, with a negative margin. In June, it was minus 3.5%, and retailers invested 2.5 rubles of their own funds for each kilogram of "first—price" carrots, Stanislav Bogdanov noted.
Izvestia sent a request to the Ministry of Industry and Trade with a request to comment on the situation with vegetable pricing.
When will vegetable prices start to decline
The press service of the Ministry of Agriculture told Izvestia that last year a record carrot harvest was harvested in Russia — more than 1 million tons, which is 17% higher than in 2023. And the harvest of table beet amounted to 417.4 thousand tons— which is 6% more than the harvest of the previous year, the ministry said.
— Currently, the prices of these products on the market are mainly determined by imports. Until the end of July 2025, Russia has a zero duty on carrot imports in the amount of up to 55 thousand tons, the press service of the department reported.
At the same time, they noted that beetroot and early carrot harvesting has already started in the southern regions of Russia, and this is starting to have an impact on the cost.
— Thus, the average producer prices for carrots over the past week decreased by 0.4% and as of July 9 amounted to 32.6 rubles per 1 kg. Selling prices for table beet decreased by 0.5% over the same period, to 24.8 rubles per 1 kg. With an increase in the supply of domestic products to the market, a more noticeable decrease in the cost of vegetables is expected," the ministry said.
In addition, they reported that systematic work is underway to create and modernize vegetable storages — part of the direct costs incurred for these purposes are reimbursed, as well as preferential loans for their construction.
According to the Ministry of Agriculture, at the beginning of 2025, the total storage capacity of vegetables and potatoes in the country increased to 9.2 million tons, which is 147 thousand tons higher than in 2024. The increase in capacity will allow for longer and larger storage of products, which will contribute to increased self-sufficiency and reduced dependence on imports, according to the department.
According to former Deputy Minister of Agriculture Leonid Kholod, carrots and beets will start to become cheaper after the appearance of a new crop.: retail chains will buy it in some quantity because it is cheaper than imported. However, in his opinion, the situation is unlikely to change dramatically.
— The reason is that our agriculture is at one level of development, and retail chains are at another. Large chains have their own supply requirements — size, volume, purity of vegetables. And, of course, it is more profitable for them to work with large foreign suppliers," he explained to Izvestia.
According to him, domestic agriculture cannot meet these needs in many areas, so retail chains often dictate their conditions to farmers, including pricing policy.
Carrots, beets, and potatoes really show high growth rates, said Georgy Ostapkovich, Scientific Director of the HSE Center for Economic Research and Economic Development. According to him, this is due to an increase in the cost of vegetable production, which includes costs for logistics, fertilizers, storage, and harvesting. Of course, when a new crop appears, prices will decrease, but they are unlikely to fall to the previous level, the expert concluded.
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