Russians are continuing to economise on food, opting for cheaper equivalents to meat and fish. However, according to Russia’s Ministry of Economic Development (MED) vegetable prices are increasing at a rapid pace. "The population continues to adhere to the savings patterns of behavior, refusing to buy expensive protein products in favour of cheaper products, mainly of plant origin", stated the Ministry of Economic Development in their first half report of 2016, monitoring the situation in the Russian economy.
''Major trends in price dynamics which were fixed at the end of 2014, have continued in the first half of 2016. The rise in prices of cheaper food items, mostly made from vegetable raw materials continues to outpace growth in protein product prices,’’ says the report.
According to calculations by the Ministry of Economic Development and Rosstat, fruit and vegetable products as a whole, rose in price by 6.5% in January - June 2016 (at the same time a year earlier, prices rose by 20%). According to the ministry, the reduction of the dynamic of price increases is due to the high yield of potatoes and vegetables in 2015, as well as the strengthening of the ruble in the off-season, when the share of imported products on the market increases.
At the same time for certain types of fruits and vegetables price dynamics differed. Potatoes for the first half rose by 47.3% (in the previous year prices rose by 31.2%). Prices of cucumbers and tomatoes decreased by 4.1%. Since the beginning of the year the price tag on fruit and citrus increased by 5.6%.
Source: vedomosti.ru
