President Belarus Alexander Lukașenko while harvesting potatoes, on a field next to the presidential residence in Drozdy, outside the city of Minsk, Belarus, August 16, 2015. Photo: Andrei Stasevich / AP / Profimedia
“We have to cultivate a sufficient amount for our needs and Russia,” said Belarus president Aleksandr Lukașenko at a meeting with regional officials in Minsk.
Lukașenko launched this call to farmers on Wednesday, to cultivate several potatoes, in the context of a serious deficit registered to this important product and to increase demand from the neighboring country, Russia, writes the German press agency DPA.
In the past, the potato has been a symbol of the Lukașnko regime in Belarus, a strongly dependent country. Even Lukașnko was at one point head of a state agricultural cooperative, called Sovkhoz, notes Agerpres.
Problems in food supply have recently appeared in Belarus, where the economy is largely under state control.
Lukașenko blamed for these issues on Russian agriculture, claiming that Russia bought Belarus stocks.
“We have to help the Russians, our brothers,” said Lukașenko, adding that an important way in which Belarus can help is the cultivation of potatoes. Also, according to the leader of Belarus, this is also a profitable activity.
Foods, much more expensive in Russia
The price of food has increased dramatically in Russia, and potato prices have registered some of the highest increases.
A few weeks ago, the crisis forced the Minsk government to increase prices for vegetables, which are fixed by the state.
Last days, Minsk authorities have raised a ban on the import of fruit and vegetables from the European Union, a ban imposed in December 2021, in response to Western sanctions.
The official data show that, in 2024, Belarus exported a record amount of 170,000 tons of potatoes to Russia, an increase of 60.8% at an annual rate. This is when the potatoes in Russia are sold at an almost double price than that of Belarus.
According to the Russian daily Kommersant, the potatoes have increased by 52% since the beginning of the year, reaching a historic maximum of 85.4 rubles per kilogram. This is under the conditions in which the Russia's potato harvest decreased by 12% last year, affected by spring frost and torrential rains that complicated the harvesting work.
Also, the farmers reduced the surfaces sown with potatoes, after a consistent harvest from 2023, which later led to lower prices.
