Russians Buy Fresh Vegetables Less Often: Experts Name Reasons

In Russia, retail sales of fresh vegetables have decreased by 2.6% in a year. The indicator itself is far from critical, but the phenomenon itself is alarming: at all times, including times of crisis, consumer demand for the same tomatoes and potatoes has remained at a consistently high level in the country. And today, many people cannot afford what was recently the most accessible to them.

The most pronounced decline in sales was for eggplants (-16%), zucchini (-10.5%), potatoes (-6.4%), tomatoes (-18%) and cucumbers (-17%), according to data from the analytical company Nielsen. The situation is due to a combination of factors, but, above all, rising prices and the desire of citizens to save money. Since at least the beginning of 2025, the trend of rising prices has been observed for all vegetables in the borscht set: potatoes, for example, have almost doubled in price year-on-year. The average bill for cucumbers and tomatoes in March-July increased by 10% (year-on-year), to 102 and 112 rubles, respectively.

It is obvious that the roots of this price turbulence go deep into the structural problems of Russian agriculture. The motivation of farmers to grow open-ground vegetables is falling for several reasons, including instability of purchase prices and demand, reduction of sown areas and harvest, rising costs, low margins.

According to Dmitry Leonov, Deputy Chairman of the Board of the Rusprodsoyuz Association, the 2.6% reduction in vegetable sales over the year (from August 2024 to July 2025) is due, firstly, to the high base of the previous season, secondly, to a decrease in import supply for some items (zucchini from Turkey, eggplants from Turkey and China), and thirdly, to the current cool summer. In the future, Leonov believes, demand for vegetables may recover to its previous level, since prices are adjusted. For example, according to data as of August 15, average wholesale prices for potatoes were at the level of 18 rubles per kilogram, having decreased by 20% over the month.

"Last year, consumer inflation accelerated quite strongly, eventually amounting to about 10%," says Nikita Maslennikov, a leading expert at the Center for Political Technologies. "In September 2024, after the end of the summer seasonal deflation, prices for borscht ingredients skyrocketed. Among other things, they were affected by a significant reduction in potato acreage. Now we see that cucumbers are becoming more expensive (up 5.2% over the past week), and the seasonal decline in fruit and vegetable prices is becoming less pronounced."

Maslennikov points to another modern trend that is contributing to the cooling of demand for vegetables. According to him, since the middle of last year, the share of ready-made food has been increasing in the consumption structure, including dishes that do not even need to be heated up. In addition, the catering market (turnover of cafes and restaurants) is growing rapidly: by 7.1% in the first quarter of 2025, to 1.25 trillion rubles. And this is a fairly stable trend: in general, we are talking about a change in the culture of food consumption.

"The vegetable sector needs regulation and stimulation from the state," says Igor Abakumov, PhD in Economics and host of the "Sel'skiy Chas" program. "It is clear why prices for cucumbers and zucchini are growing - these vegetables have always been grown mainly by small farms and private households, which have sharply reduced their presence in the market. Accordingly, an imbalance has arisen. Many farmers are changing their specialization, stopping production, since their products are losing marginality. And the ban on commercial activity in summer cottages and garden plots recently introduced by the State Duma can hardly be considered the right step. The more you restrict people, the less they want to create something with their own hands. They can still grow something for themselves, for personal consumption, but not for mass trade."

A slightly different, but fundamentally similar story with tomatoes: they are grown in greenhouses (including film ones), of which there are several times fewer in Russia than in Turkey, Azerbaijan, Uzbekistan, and Tajikistan. Another problem is that the state focuses mainly on large agricultural holdings, while, according to world experience, small farms produce 30% to 50% of food in different segments. According to Abakumov, if there are about 6 million of them in China, 5 million in India, 6-8 million in the USA, then in Russia there are no more than 100 thousand. These farms are flexible and mobile when reorienting from one agricultural crop to another, but they need state support, financing, and benefits.

"This year, food imports have already exceeded exports, which can only be called a crisis situation," says MK's source. "As for the shortage of personnel in the agricultural sector, it is largely due to the salary policy of agricultural holdings: people were paid a maximum of 30-50 thousand rubles a month, and in the end, people voted with their feet. They decided that it was better to work as a security guard in a shopping center than to grow greenhouse tomatoes for a pittance. After all, people have one life, and they want to live it without chopping wood for the winter or carrying buckets of water from a well."