Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko roasted his top officials at a televised Cabinet meeting for failing to contain soaring potato prices.

“You didn't do it and you'll answer for it,” Lukashenko said. “It turns out we don't have potatoes. How much has the price of potatoes gone up? Can't we produce the right amount of potatoes, put them in the cellar and then sell them to people?” "Why? It doesn’t store well? I warned you last year how it should be stored. I gave you the example of Shuleyko from Alexandria. They built a storage facility. God forbid I drive by and stop there, and it’s not filled to the ceiling." He accused them of mismanagement and favouring imports over locally produced goods. The remarks were made on February 28 during a government meeting on a new price regulation framework.

Potato prices have jumped by 10% over just the past two months, and an irate Lukashenko expressed his frustration at the authorities’ inability to maintain stable prices for staple goods. He accused officials of disregarding earlier directives to create stocks of key foodstuffs to cushion consumers from price spikes during the off-season.

Like all countries in Eastern Europe, Belarus is grappling with a high food-inflation problem. This July inflation climbed to 5.8% during the same period a year earlier.

The problems in Russia are even worse, with inflation currently running at about 10%, although more recently in February it probably peaked, as the annualised preliminary January rate reached 9.9%, said Renaissance Capital in a note on February 18 (chart). As the Belarusian economy is so tightly tied to Russia’s, typically the latter’s problems spill over to affect Belarus as well.

In 2023, 60% of Belarus’s imports came from Russia and as much as 70% of its exports went to Russia. In addition Belarus has informally pegged its currency to the Russian ruble, making it vulnerable to fluctuations in the Russian currency.

The president instructed the State Control Committee to investigate the matter and present proposals, threatening to sack those found responsible. “These executives should be kicked out. We cannot produce enough potatoes,” he said.

Lukashenko also suggested the problem has been caused by corruption, implicitly threatening the officials with jail time. He asked if foreign suppliers had influenced government procurement.

“You have set up a system where it is more profitable to import goods into the market than to sell our own. Isn't that chaos? What kind of regulation is this? It is corruption!” he said. “Which importer did you want to favour? From Egypt, Russia or Kazakhstan? Prove to me that they did not pay you under the table. I am not accusing you of taking bribes, but, excuse me, I have a suspicion,” he stated to the obviously frightened officials.

He also challenged the agricultural sector’s failure to invest in greenhouse cultivation during winter months. “I planted these vegetables in the greenhouse to see if it is possible. It turns out it is. So why are you not doing it? What is wrong with you? Have you got too comfortable?” he said, noting his own successes in growing tomatoes and cucumbers.

Lukashenko likes to portray himself as a man of the people and often releases videos of himself and his son chopping wood (video) or collecting watermelons. In one famous incident he worked in the garden with Hollywood action star Steven Seagal, whom he gave carrots to eat (video).

Lukashenko has long been associated with potatoes (video) as the crop holds deep significance in the Belarusian national identity, and is known locally as the “second bread”, a symbol of rural self-sufficiency.

Lukashenko said that people were complaining about the potato situation, and said: “Some people write to me here and say, potatoes are bad,” continuing, in a dismayed tone, “but imported potatoes are better than ours? Why are they better? Why?!”