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Russia is suffering from runaway cabbage inflation

May 13, 2015, 19:49 IST

Cabbage inflation in Russia is totally bananas.

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Prices for the leafy green are up 97.59% since July 2014, according to Rosstat data cited by Vedomosti News.

Back in July, you could grab one kilogram of fresh cabbage for 20.73 rubles ($0.42), but now you'll need to shell out 40.96 rubles ($0.83).

And it gets even crazier: analyst reports noted that some stores marked up cabbage by as much as 400% at the end of April, according to the Moscow Times

A huge increase in cabbage prices is particularly is hard to stomach because it's a major ingredient in many traditional Russian dishes, including shchiborsch, and pirozhki.

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Inflation in Russia has been at the highest levels since the financial crisis, getting as high as 16.9% at the end of March. Sanctions imposed by the West, the ban on Western food products, and the ruble's plunge in late 2014 have all been credited with contributing to the surge in inflation.

Things have gotten so bad that officials have been considering putting a price cap on "essential food products."

However, cabbage was hit particularly hard for one more reason: early November frosts, according to The Moscow Times. Russia produces roughly 75% of the cabbage it consumes and imports the other 25% after the New Year from the EU. But when it got too cold too early this year, Russia technically couldn't increase its imports of cabbage from the EU due to the ban on western food imports.

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