Sugar, eggs see biggest price rises among foodstuffs in Russia in 2018
MOSCOW. Jan 10 (Interfax) - Sugar and eggs saw the biggest price rises among Russian foodstuffs in 2018, while overall food inflation accelerated, the State Statistics Service (Rosstat) said.
Sugar prices went up 28.3% and eggs rose 25.9% in price in 2018.
Poultry went up 9.7%, bread and baked products - 5.2%, fruit and vegetables - 4.9%, fish and seafood - 3.7%, butter - 3.6% and milk and dairy products - 2.9%.
Pasta products rose 1.4% in price, cereals and legumes - 1.2% and alcoholic beverages - 1.3%.
Food prices overall went up 4.7% in 2018 while overall inflation was 4.3%. Food inflation quickened substantially from 2017, when it was just 1.1%.
The biggest price rises among foodstuffs in December were for eggs. Egg prices rose in almost all regions, but most of all in Udmurtia (31%), Marii El (29.5%) and the Oryol and Kaliningrad regions (28.3%), but fell 2.4% in the Jewish Autonomous Region.
Among fruit and vegetables, prices in December rose for cucumbers - 37.2%, tomatoes - 22.5%, cabbage - 20%, potatoes - 9.9% and onion - 9.5%.
Millet went up 4.6%, semolina - 1.8% and poultry, frozen gutted fish (except salmon), fish filet and flour - 1.7%.
Prices fell for salmon caviar by 1.7%, frozen squid - 0.5% and foreign brands of beer, instant coffee and coffee served in fast food outlets - 0.2%.