The cost of groceries necessary to set the New Year table has been assessed at 6,253 rubles ($90.20), a 1.6% rise year-on-year, the Russian Ministry of Agriculture said on Friday, according to TASS.
“Calculations based on the account of price fluctuations of the current year and seasonal December dynamics show the average price in Russia for the New Year table for a family of four will be 6,253 rubles by the end of December, which is 1.6% higher than its value the same period last year. Thus, it is expected that the dynamics will be 2.5 times lower than the projected inflation,” the ministry said.
To estimate the value of food products in the pre-New Year period, data from Russia’s statistics agency Rosstat was used, as well as the supply and demand volumes for the main products in the current year, including about 30 popular items such as meat, sausage, cheese, vegetables and fruits, caviar, alcoholic and non-alcoholic beverages, and sweets.
The cost of Russian wine is stable and is at the level of 2017. Production of Russian wine remains at a stable level, and sales of wine products are gradually increasing.
According to the President of the Union of Viticulture and Winemakers of Russia Leonid Popovich, wine prices are at the same level as last year due to state support measures; over the past three years it has increased more than 5 times. In 2019, support will increase to 3 billion rubles ($43.5 million) compared with 1.4 billion rubles ($20 billion) this year, he added.
