The humble cucumber, a favorite in Russian salads and dishes, is the latest staple in Russia to see its price suddenly skyrocket, angering consumers and alarming politicians and regulators eager to quell any popular discontent in a time of war.
Official statistics show that the price of cucumbers has doubled since December and averages just over 300 rubles ($3,91) per kilogram, and social media has been flooded with photos showing them sometimes being sold for more than double, or even triple, that amount, Reuters writes.
Under pressure from politicians, including those from the ruling United Russia party, who are running in parliamentary elections later this year, the regulatory agency sent a letter to manufacturers and retailers, asking them to explain the price increases.
"This winter, a new 'delicacies' have appeared in our stores - cucumbers," said Sergei Mironov, head of the parliamentary group of the Just Russia party, noting that the Ministry of Agriculture explained the sharp rise in cucumber prices by seasonal factors.
"They used the same explanation for last year's 'golden' potatoes, and now it's the turn of 'gilded' cucumbers," said Mironov, a former paratrooper turned politician who often highlights sensitive issues that anger voters.
"What should people do? Just accept that they can't afford even the most basic groceries?" he asked.
Producers have assured consumers that cucumber prices will likely start to fall next month, when the weather warms up. Reuters reports that authorities have previously managed to resolve similar problems with the prices of other foods and that there are no indications that public outcry over price increases poses a threat to social stability.
However, the sharp jump in cucumber prices coincided with a 2,1 percent increase in overall prices since the beginning of the year, partly as a result of a value-added tax increase, and comes at a time when people are fearful of rising costs, as the Russian economy slows after four years of war in Ukraine.
Since the Central Bank predicts inflation of up to 5,5 percent this year, citizens are also complaining about rising utility bills, fuel prices, grocery prices in supermarkets, and restaurant bills.
As cucumber prices have now surpassed those of imported fruits like bananas, some supermarkets in Siberia are limiting the amount a customer can buy, while one of Russia's most widely circulated newspapers has given out seeds to its readers to grow at home.
Sergei Mironov's party and the Communist Party, which both have deputies in the Duma, the lower house of parliament, have proposed that the government limit the markup that retailers can charge on basic food products.
Yevgeny Popov, a lawmaker from the ruling party, tried to downplay the problem on social media, saying that cucumber prices would fall and that Russia was completely self-sufficient in the production of the product.
Some followers quickly responded.
"The prices of cucumbers and tomatoes are outrageously high," wrote a woman who identified herself as Svetlana. "They used to say that eggs were 'golden' (because they were too expensive). Now cucumbers are golden."
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