Russia: Vodka production is falling, there are not enough potatoes

According to the Russian Alcohol and Tobacco Market Control Service, from January to May this year, Russian vodka production fell by 13.2%. A total of 250 million liters of vodka were produced during this period. In addition, cognac production also fell by almost a fifth. The January data were published by the TASS agency .

Overall, production of alcoholic beverages with an alcohol content of over 9% fell by 12.1%, the data showed. The decline was due to a "gradual recovery in demand" following a previous stockpiling caused by changes in excise duty and minimum selling prices, according to authorities.

" In addition, the stocks created at the end of last year, precisely in connection with the change in the excise duty rate and the minimum retail price, have already been sold ," the officials said. The British newspaper Express also quoted their report .

The situation is also worsened by the shortage of potatoes, which are a crucial raw material in Russia not only for the food industry but also for the alcohol industry . In mid-May, President Vladimir Putin acknowledged the low production of this agricultural crop. According to available data, their harvest decreased by 12%, while potato prices increased by 52% year-on-year.

Moscow is therefore now importing much more of this staple crop. Armenia alone exported almost twice as many potatoes to Russia in the first five months of 2025 as in the same period last year – and almost 17 times more than in 2023, the Armenian Ministry of Economy said at the end of last month, as quoted by TASS .