Potato dispute in Belarus: Putin and Lukashenko clash...

In recent months, Belarusians have been concerned about the sharp rise in potato prices in the country, and the issue has sparked heated discussions on social media. The price of potatoes, known as the country's "second bread," has risen from 0.3-0.4 euros per kilogram to 1.4 euros. This is a huge change for a country that produces millions of tons of potatoes every year.

The rise in potato prices has not only affected the daily lives of ordinary people, but has also caused tension in relations between the leaders of the two countries - Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko and Russian President Vladimir Putin.

In early May of this year, Alexander Lukashenko admitted that the country was experiencing a potato shortage, blaming local farmers first. Lukashenko also began to blame the neighboring country, noting that potatoes, one of the country's main exports, were being sold in excessive quantities to Russia.

Belarus is indeed one of Russia's main potato exporters. In 2024, the country sold more than 170,000 tons of potatoes to Russia. However, this trade also led to a shortage in the domestic market of Belarus.

A similar situation is observed in Russia. On May 26, President Vladimir Putin, during a meeting with entrepreneurs, drew attention to the potato problem in the country and proposed to further increase the purchase of potatoes from Belarus. At that time, when Deputy Head of the Presidential Administration Maxim Oreshkin said that Belarus also had no potato reserves, Putin could not hide his surprise.

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Lukashenko has since changed his position. A few days ago, during a visit to the Brest region, he appealed to farmers to increase potato plantings in order to improve the situation. The president also recommended that ordinary people plant potatoes in their plots.

It seems that the potato issue has become not only economic, but also geopolitical in importance for Belarus. Lukashenko even agreed to lift bans on the import of vegetables and fruit from the European Union, which was previously described as an "enemy", in order to alleviate the situation.

According to experts, this year's significant decrease in potato production was due to a sharp increase in agricultural costs. The increase in fuel, fertilizers, machinery and wages of workers has created serious problems for farmers. In addition, cold weather has also had a negative impact on the decline in the harvest. In addition, the lack of warehouses for storing potatoes and the prices set by the state for the product are also causing great harm to farmers' activities.

Against the backdrop of rising potato prices, Belarus has imposed strict controls on potato exports, particularly to Russia, at its borders. The country is trying to stabilize the situation on its domestic market.

In short, the potato issue in Belarus has become not only an internal economic issue, but also a geopolitical one that has affected relations between the presidents of the two countries. This topic is likely to cause many political debates in the coming months.