The area of acreage for potatoes will grow to 290 thousand hectares.

The area under cultivation for potatoes will grow to 290 thousand hectares, the Ministry of Agriculture told Izvestia, noting that more than 10 thousand hectares will be sown this year.

The ground is empty: how drought may affect harvests in 2025

Forecasters and the Ministry of Agriculture are cautious in their forecasts, while farms note a lack of moisture in the soil.

"In most regions of Russia, the planting of crops is ahead of last year's pace. As of June 2, potatoes were planted on an area of 237.2 thousand hectares (82% of the forecast), which is 19 thousand hectares more than the level of 2024 on the same date. In general, under favorable weather conditions, a decent potato harvest is expected in 2025 — at the level of 7.5 million tons (in 2024, 7.3 million tons)," the ministry said.

They also noted that farmers will begin to harvest early potatoes en masse from mid-June. Lower prices on the market can be expected in July.

Read more in the exclusive Izvestia article:

Tubers by interest: farmers increase potato yield