An earlier survey conducted of Grodan which is a manufacturer of high-tech vegetable substrates and flower cultivation, has revealed that the market for greenhouse-grown vegetables in Russia was up by 7% over the course of 2024/25’s autumn-winter period as compared to the previous two years. A majority of the respondents have reported eating fresh vegetables during winter, a rise from 61 percent in 2022/23. Although one third of people consume fresh fruits and vegetables every day however, 43% consume the same amount of vegetables at least a few times every week.

In the case of 47% of people it is the source of their vegetables, whether domestic or imported is no longer a factor which is up from 28% a year earlier. In addition, 18% favor local produce. In contrast, just 3% prefer imports in comparison to 8percent. Around 15% steer clear of greenhouse vegetables due to issues with pesticides (2 2 percent) as well as uncertainty over the winter conditions for growing (13 percent). A further 17% of respondents said that they are less likely to eat vegetables in winter because of changes in flavor.

Technologist Daniil Fedorov says the modern greenhouse farming practices ensure that plants are grown in constant conditions throughout the year by using artificial light in addition to natural light. The advancements in technology also made it less necessary to use the use of pesticides and growth boosters and made greenhouse veggies more secure.

Despite increasing demand, high prices limit consumption. According to Rosstat data, consumption of vegetable products in Russia was up 2.5 percentage in 2023 however many customers claim they are unable to purchase more because of increasing costs.

A good example of this is cucumbers, that are currently more costly than tomatoes. Cucumbers are more dependent on artificial light as well as energy, which can increase the cost of production. Furthermore, the best varieties of cucumber include spiny and short-fruited varieties are priced higher.

The cost of tomatoes, specifically for varieties such as Cherry will continue to increase since their consumption rises by about 5% per year. In spite of higher production levels the Cherry tomatoes are still more costly than round tomatoes because they have a significantly less yield per square foot.

Source: www.agroinvestor.ru