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The Belarusian ruler’s price controls have backfired. Alexander Lukashenko’s stubborn grip on the Belarusian economy plunged the potato-happy country into a spud shortage this spring. Critics of the authoritarian ruler, who in January grabbed a seventh term in power, say he has warped the economy with strict price controls on staples like potatoes — while encouraging citizens to snitch on grocery stores that flout regime rules. The limits, launched by Lukashenko in October 2022 as he aimed to keep prices low and stave off inflation, instead made potatoes far less profitable for farmers to produce. Opponents say that decisions made...

At a farm near Moscow, newly arrived guest workers from India are planting potatoes and cabbages - work closely monitored by central bank analysts as they prepare for board meetings to set interest rates. While in developed economies such as the United States food accounts for about 14% of the basket used to calculate inflation, in Russia it makes up a hefty 40% or so, and surging prices for potatoes and other staples have been a major reason for its tight monetary policy. The central bank trimmed its benchmark rate to 20% on June 6 but even that is around...

Production of vodka in Russia has plummetted by more than 13%, according to the latest data. The dip occurred between January and May as the country also deals with a shortage of potatoes. On May 14, President Vladimir Putin admitted that Russians "don’t have enough potatoes". Figures suggest that, in the first few months of 2025, the price of the crop surged by 52%, while the overall harvest dropped by 12%. In the first five months of 2025, Armenia exported nearly twice as many potatoes to Russia as it did during the first half of 2024, and almost 17 times...

Reds. Russets. Yukon Golds. Up until about a year or so ago, you could throw together a pretty decent breakfast after frying up a potato, some onions, and parsley for home fries. And you didn't have to do anything more to the potato than wash it and slice or chop it up. Not anymore. The spuds for sale at WalMart or Publix for five and six bucks a bag look like the real thing, but wait until you try to cook them. The problem is, they won't. Or don't. You can fry them all you want. Yet they'll stay raw...

Vladimir Putin is demanding urgent potato imports from Alexander Lukashenko of Belarus, while he delays supplying the ally with promised notorious Oreshnik horror missiles. Putin has made the shameful admission that he has run out of spuds - one of his country’s leading food staples - amid economic meltdown during his war with Ukraine. It now appears Belarus will not get the lethal missiles until after Lukashenko supplies Putin with new exports of potatoes which have spiralled in prices in Russia. The Minsk tyrant has even cancelled sanctions against imports from the EU to stock up to supply Russia. -snip-...

Belarusian strongman Alexander Lukashenko called on Wednesday for the country to produce more potatoes in the face of a large shortage of the key crop and rising demand from neighbouring Russia. "We have to grow enough so that it suffices for us and for Russia," Lukashenko said during a meeting with regional officials in Minsk, state news agency BelTA reported. The potato has in the past been seen as a symbol of Lukashenko's rule of the country, which is heavily dependant on agriculture. He was once head of a state-run collective farm, or sovkhoz. Food shortages have arisen recently in...

Russian president Vladimir Putin has acknowledged crop shortages as pressure on the country’s economy continues to mount. Pressure is mounting on Russia amid labour shortages, international sanctions, record interest rates, and inflation, but Putin’s admission of shortages of key crops marks a milestone in the nation’s woes. Speaking yesterday in a televised meeting, he said: “Yesterday, I met with representatives from various business sectors, including agriculture. It turns out that we don’t have enough potatoes. “I spoke with Alexander Grigoryevich Lukashenko. He said, ‘We’ve already sold everything to Russia’.” Potato shortages have become a serious problem in neighbouring Belarus, with...

President Vladimir Putin on Tuesday acknowledged Russia’s mounting potato shortage, driven by underwhelming crop yields that have led to record-breaking price increases. “Yesterday [Monday], I met with representatives from various business sectors, including agriculture. It turns out that we don’t have enough potatoes,” Putin said during a televised meeting. “I spoke with [Belarusian President] Alexander Grigoryevich Lukashenko. He said, ‘We’ve already sold everything to Russia’.” The previous day, Lukashenko’s press office joked that Belarus had already planted additional potatoes. Belarusians have reportedly been complaining for months about the poor quality and limited supply of potatoes in stores. In April, authorities...

The price of potatoes in Russia has soared by 52% since the start of the year, according to new figures. Imports have failed to offset the poor harvest last year, which saw the total potato crop decline by 12%, according to Reuters. Heavy rain and a frosty spring this year has hit potato farmers, made worse by the fact the area of the country seeded for the crop was reduced after the bumper 2023 harvest which drove down prices. According to Kommersant daily data, potatoes have tripled in price in the supermarkets compared to 2024, reaching a record high of...

Potatoes, often dismissed as fattening carbs, can actually lower the energy density of meals and, when prepared to boost fiber (e.g., boiled, cooled 24 hrs, skins on), support a 5.6% average weight loss and improved insulin resistance over eight weeks. By swapping 40% of meat or fish in entrées for these fiber-rich potatoes, participants ate satisfying portions without conscious calorie restriction, moderating blood glucose responses in people with obesity and insulin resistance. ************************************************************************ Potatoes can aid weight loss and blood sugar control when prepared properly, offering a satisfying, nutrient-rich addition to a healthy diet. Potatoes are one of the world’s...

Once harvested, the potatoes will be processed to extract casein protein powder, a key component in dairy production. Casein, which makes up 80% of milk proteins, is essential for cheese-making and provides melting, stretching and foaming properties in dairy products. Founded just a year ago, Finally Foods specializes in molecular agriculture, using potatoes as natural bio-reactors to produce casein protein. Bio-reactors serve as a medium for biochemical reactions, offering a sustainable alternative to traditional livestock-based dairy production, which contributes to high greenhouse gas emissions and requires extensive land and water resources. The company sees plant-based dairy proteins as a solution...

Russian president Vladimir Putin is facing an economic nightmare as the nation struggles to continue to fund his war effort in Ukraine. Soaring food prices and depleted war resources have seen the Kremlin attempt to strike a balance between maintaining the war machine in Ukraine whilst ensuring domestic stability. Currently, a kilogram of potatoes is at least 73% more expensive than at the start of the year, while the price of butter has increased by more than 30%, according to data released by the Federal Statistics Service on Thursday. Russia had already experienced rising food prices before this years surge,...

But Russia's red-hot wartime economy comes with a price: inflation, which hit 9.8% in September. The price hikes are trickling down to basic food items, with prices of potatoes — a Russian staple — surging this year by 64% as of November 5, according to official statistics. Potatoes' price surge stems from bad weather and the rising cost of production amid a labor shortage and rising wages. It's not just potatoes. The data from Rosstat, Russia's federal statistics service, show that food prices have generally risen across the board this year. In late October, economists on the MMI Telegram channel,...

Idaho farmers are in danger of having their water shut off. The water shutoff order affects half a million acres of farmland and about 6,400 people who use the water. Without water, their farmland is worthless. The state of Idaho has put a water curtailment order, which is basically a water shutoff order on literally a half million acres of farmland. ‌ Many farming this land have already invested in thousands of acres, thousands of dollars per acre, to grow potatoes. It’s too late for them to survive without water. Why is the water being cut off? Essentially, this curtailment...

People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals (PETA) is urging the White House to swap chicken eggs for potatoes at their annual Easter Egg Roll this year. The controversial organization wrote in a letter to First Lady Jill Biden that it wants to “suggest an appealing way to modernize the White House Easter Egg Roll,” which is set for April 1st on the South Lawn. […] … PETA President Ingrid Newkirk states … a ”potato roll” would not “exploit any sentient beings and would encourage empathy and kindness to animals while supporting potato farmers in the U.S.” …

The National Potato Council isn't happy about this potential change.According to the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Economic Research Service, when Americans eat vegetables, they’re mostly eating potatoes and tomatoes. In 2019, the average American downed almost 50 pounds of potatoes over the course of the year, and ate around 31 pounds of tomatoes — and it’s not totally surprising that French fries and pizza sauce significantly contributed to our annual totals. But in the future, when the USDA starts adding up our yearly veggie totals, tomatoes may take the top spot on a technicality. Because there’s a chance that the...

Weather unpredictability and above normal rainfall has made it a difficult year for the agricultural sector. Most farmers were affected in some way or another and right now, potato growers are facing serious crop losses as waterlogged fields impede this year’s harvest. In a ten-hectare field just outside Enniscorthy, County Wexford, potato grower Sean Ryan is assessing conditions. As he walks between the drills, his boots squelch in three inches of water as this part of the potato field is waterlogged. […] Most of the potatoes he digs are rotten, soft like butter and giving off a foul smell. At...

The Weekly Gardening Thread is a weekly gathering of folks that love soil, seeds and plants of all kinds. From complete newbies that are looking to start that first potted plant, to gardeners with some acreage, to Master Gardener level and beyond, we would love to hear from you. If you have specific question about a plant/problem you are having, please remember to state the Growing Zone where you are located. This thread is a non-political respite. No matter what, you won’t be flamed, and the only dumb question is the one that isn’t asked. It is impossible to hijack...

(links set to start at 2:22, skipping the short initial remarks and the Magellan TV ad)Potatoes and History | The History Guy:History Deserves to Be Remembered15:36 | 1.18M subscribers | 358K views | 2 years ago

(Last Updated On: January 31, 2023) NATIONAL TATER TOT DAY On February 2nd, National Tater Tot Day recognizes a kitchen staple. In the United States, we consume approximately 3.5 billion of these nuggets of potato goodness per year. #NationalTaterTotDay These bite-sized bits of golden deliciousness created from the scraps from making French fries once were used to feed cattle. But how do the cast-offs from making French fries become the bite-sized, kitchen-friendly morsels we love to devour today? Through persistence and ingenuity, of course! Two brothers, Nephi and Golden Grigg, along with their brother-in-law started dabbling in frozen food when...