The potato crop harvested this year turned out to be of “small caliber”, which is not suitable for deliveries to stores, Kommersant reported.
The head of Russia’s “Potato Union” apparatus Tatyana Gubina noted that in previous years, large potatoes of 55 mm in size accounted for up to 80% of the crop, but this season – only 50%.
The reason was rains and droughts in the main producing regions.
The Ministry of Industry and Trade and the Ministry of Agriculture held a meeting with retail chains and manufacturers.
The Ministry of Agriculture believes that the sale of small packaged potatoes will help increase sales of farm products. Trading networks insist that such a product is not in demand, and it would be more logical to switch to imported potatoes.
“Potato Union” sent a letter to the Association of Retail Companies and the Union of Independent Networks, in which it offered to sell root crops of “economy class” 35-55 mm in size in packages of 2.5 kg, 3 kg, and 5 kg.
Manufacturers drew attention to another similar product – cucumber. Crooked cucumbers may be included in the list of cheaper goods, and straight cucumbers will become premium, one will have to pay extra for them.
