The cost of cabbage in Russia has risen 66 percent since the start of the year as food price inflation runs rampant on the back of currency devaluation and sanctions on Western imports, the Interfax news agency reported citing data from Russia's Agriculture Ministry.
The data showed that prices for cabbage have risen faster than for any other food, reaching 24 rubles per kilogram. But other vegetables also saw steep increases: From Jan. 1 to March 27, the price of onions rose 40 percent, potatoes 36 percent and carrots 32 percent, Interfax said.
The cost of meat has risen more slowly, with beef prices rising 10 percent and the price of pork and chicken rising 1.5 percent between Jan. 1 and March 27.
Overall inflation has rocketed from around 7 percent a year ago to almost 17 percent in March as a sharp fall in the value of the ruble has raised the cost of imports. Food price inflation rose even faster after the government banned a range of food imports from European countries and the United States in retaliation for sanctions over the crisis in Ukraine.
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