According to the Russian Central Bank, "fruit and vegetable prices in March have fallen compared to February for the first time since records have been kept (by 1.3 percent). Compared with March last year, fruit and vegetables were worth an average of 5.1 percent less," reported the statement.
To explain these lower prices, the body has named a number of temporary factors, including the high volume of deals in the domestic food market, the downward trend in world prices for agricultural products and the favourable forecasts for the harvest in Russia and the world.
It is worth noting that, on 22 March, Russia started receiving the first shipments of Syrian fruit and vegetables, which should have served to partially replace banned Turkish imports.
