The maximum increase in consumption was recorded in the Volga Federal District, where it grew by 3.5%, even though it still remained below the average Russian figure (59 kg/person), and in the Southern Federal District, where fruit consumption stands at 78 kg/person and has grown by 2.6%. In the North-West District, the consumption of fruits and berries increased from 61 to 62 kg/person; in the North Caucasus, from 60 to 61 kg/person, and in the Urals and the Far East, the decline in 2015 continued in 2016, falling by another kilo, to 63 kg/person and 64 kg/person, respectively.
Simultaneously, during 2016, the per capita consumption of vegetables increased slightly. According to Rosstat, while in 2015 the population consumed an average of 111 kg of vegetables, in 2016 this figure stood at 112 kg (an increase of 0.9%); the highest figure since 2012. This growth was mainly due to the rise in the Urals, where consumption increased by 1.1% to 91 kg per year, and also in the Volga region, where growth stood at 0.9%, to 109 kg/person. As in the category of fruits, most vegetables are consumed in the south of Russia; in the North Caucasus Federal District, each inhabitant eats an average of 171 kg, and in the Southern Federal District, consumption stands at 146 kg.
The rise in the consumption of vegetables and fruits is associated primarily with the growth in the production of domestic products, according to the Director of the Institute of Agricultural Marketing Elena Tyurina. "The supply of Russian products is gradually increasing, competition is growing and prices are being held back," Tyurina told Agroinvestor. Moreover, she recalled that the rouble began to strengthen in 2016. "Accordingly, the cost of imported vegetables and fruits declined, which also stimulated consumption growth," she noted.
The changes in the consumption of fruits and vegetables are also associated with positive dynamics in their production, as stated by the analyst of IFC Markets Dmitry Lukashov. "In 2016, the production of fruit and berry crops increased by 14%," he recalls. "There was also progress made in vegetable growing; the country's tomato production increased by 3.7%, and that of cucumbers grew by 1.2%. Obviously, agro-businesses sold their goods at attractive prices, and consumption growth occurred despite a drop in the population's income."
Source: agroinvestor.ru