Moscow’s Policies Compounding rather than Countering Impact of Drought that has Already Created Food Shortages and Sent Prices for Potatoes and Other Foodstuffs Soaring

Paul Goble

            Staunton, July 4 – The worst drought in the southern regions of the Russian Federation in more than a decade is already leading to food shortages and sending prices for potatoes and other foodstuffs soaring. But instead of countering this problem, Moscow is making it worse by refusing to buy seed abroad.

            That means that following the lowest harvest in several years is likely to be followed by an even lower one last year, and stories about how the rising price of potatoes in Russia is making them a delicacy are likely to become even more commonplace (on-news.ru/obshhestvo/gryadyot-golod-rossiyan-predupredili-ob).

            The one thing Moscow has done to try to ensure that Russians get what harvest there is rather than see its products exported is to impose increasingly draconian export tariffs. But these haven’t worked as intended. Many farmers and agro-industrialists are having to cut back production because they can’t afford these tariffs.

            Consequently, Russians are likely to face shortages and increasingly high prices for food, especially in the coming winter. And such prices and shortages will inevitably eat into public support for the Putin regime (moscowtimes.ru/2025/07/04/takoi-zasuhi-esche-nebilo-vglavnom-zernovom-regione-rossii-predupredili-opadenii-urozhaya-dominimuma-zadesyatiletie-a168005).