All news
"Instead of red caviar - chicken": how much will you have to pay for New Year's treats and what to do if you have no money
Inflation and logistics problems will hit the prices of products that Russians buy for the New Year. The rise in prices is already noticeable and continues to gain momentum. We talked to experts about why this is happening, how much a typical product costs, and whether it is possible to save money.
"The food shortage is not very acute now, but by the end of the year inflation could reach 8-9%. This means that you will have to pay 20% more for the usual citrus fruits, caviar and red fish," Evgeny Khodchenkov, founder and financial analyst of the investment company "League of Investors", told City Portals.
Caviar prices have already increased by 25% compared to last year. The reason is low catches and increased demand against the backdrop of an unsuccessful season, Alexander Panin, Chairman of the Fishermen's Union, explained to Izvestia. According to him, you can still find last year's caviar for 5-6 thousand rubles per kilogram. But for a new catch, for example, pink salmon, you will have to pay 7,000 rubles per kilogram.
The Chairperson of the Federation Council Valentina Matviyenko even called fish a product that is inaccessible to the majority of the Russian population due to excessively high prices. According to her, in September 2023, 1 kg of pink salmon was sold for an average of 152 rubles, and a year later the price almost doubled (270 rubles).
Another classic guest on the Russian table during the New Year holidays is tangerines. However, purchases this year will cost very little. As our colleagues from MSK1.RU calculated, now you will have to pay an average of 244.6 rubles per kilogram, compared to 181.6 rubles a year ago.
Irina Koziy, a representative of the Berry Union, said the fruit is rarely grown in Russia, and sanctions have affected the country's ability to import citrus fruits. According to the parliamentary bulletin, imports from Morocco, including the clementine variety popular in Russia, have virtually ceased.
The situation with sweets is no better. Imported ingredients needed to produce cocoa, etc., add 10-15% to the price. Overall, the increase in prices for sweets, although small, is already noticeable. According to Rosstat, prices have increased by 2%. For example, according to Rosstat, cookies cost an average of 276.82 rubles per kg.
The biggest price increases were for oranges (+14.8%), caviar (+12.6%) and cucumbers (+6.3%). Dairy products also became more expensive. You will have to pay 5.1% more for butter (1040 rubles/kg), 2% more for sour cream (311.74 rubles/kg), 3.6% more for sterilized and pasteurized milk (83.11 rubles). 3.4% (104.89 rubles/l), respectively.
But there are products whose prices have fallen despite everything. For example, the cost of cabbage has decreased by 23.8% (RUB 37.85/kg), carrots - by 17% (RUB 46.85/kg), potatoes - by 15.8% (RUB 43.37/kg), beets - by 14.2% (RUB 41.59/kg).
How to deal with this
- If domestic chicken is used instead of red fish, the price increases by about 5-7%. Here are some life hacks for Olivier lovers. Sausages can be replaced with cheaper meat, but with domestic peas everything is fine for now. Instead of tangerines, try putting seasonal apples on the table. It is tasty and will not hit your wallet," recommended Evgeny Khodchenkov.