Buckwheat crisis

Bloggers and media promoted demand for cereals and pasta due to rumors of an impending shortage

On November 20, theKommersant newspaper spoke about the impending shortage of buckwheat in Russia: according to the publication, prices for cereals have risen sharply since the beginning of the month, and the government is preparing for extreme measures to stabilize the situation.

The media replicated the words of Kommersant's sources and sowed panic among bloggers, who began to massively discuss and joke about the topic of the impending crisis, which could also affect other products - for example, pasta and rice.

Speaking about the price, Kommersant referred to Rosstat data: from October 31 to November 17, buckwheat in Russia increased in price by 27.5 percent. Such a sharp rise in prices allegedly forced Rosrezerv (the state agency that stores food supplies for emergency needs) to release a large volume of cereal onto the market, several sources from specialized associations told the newspaper.

The newspaper writes that problems with buckwheat began at the end of October, when prices for its purchase in retail chains began to rise sharply by suppliers. At that time, this was explained by the poor harvest in Altai (it accounts for about 40 percent of the country’s harvest) and the reluctance of producers to sell stocks in anticipation of rising prices.

On Tuesday, November 19, the Ministry of Agriculture denied the shortage of buckwheat: according to the department, the current harvest exceeds the previous year’s figure by 27.3 percent, Interfax reported.

According to the head of the Prozerno manufacturing company, Vladimir Petrichenko, the situation with rising prices for buckwheat and increased demand for it is “hysteria and inadequate.”

Our buckwheat market is completely inelastic to demand: no matter what price you set, there will always be demand. Therefore, it is not possible today to talk about this market as some kind of sane process. Therefore, it is impossible to predict when this process will decline and become an economic industry norm.

Vladimir Petrichenko, General Director of Prozerno LLC

According to Interfax , price growth for rice and pasta also accelerated last week. Rice cereals have risen in price by more than 20 percent; Millet is also growing, but at a slower pace.

The general director of the pasta manufacturer Extra M, Andrei Dribny, predicts an increase in prices for pasta at the level of 20-25 percent. According to him, since October, durum wheat has risen in price by 70 percent. The price increase was triggered by a low harvest (compared to the previous year) and an increase in exports caused by the depreciation of the ruble, Dribny believes.

Bloggers reacted to the trend of food shortages, which has been unwinding for several days, immediately after information about the possible “unsealing” of Rosrezerv.

They say that in Omsk girls have already started giving money for buckwheat.

— Lev Sharansky (@LevSharansky) November 20, 2014

I buy buckwheat from the guy who used to sell weed.

— Prince of Denmark (@zehnerson) November 20, 2014

Interfax: Following buckwheat, the rise in prices for rice has accelerated, and pasta may become more expensive - experts. And where should all these bags of food be stored?..

— Vladimir Varfolomeev (@Varfolomeev) November 20, 2014

What's the matter with buckwheat? People, don’t you eat anything other than buckwheat? There are a lot of cereals on the market, no, the world has become like a wedge on buckwheat.

— Maxim Simonenko 18+ (@888i888) November 20, 2014

Expensive buckwheat tastes better than cheap buckwheat.

— Mercury (@imerkouri) November 20, 2014

Even deputy Alexander Sidyakin spoke out.

I wanted buckwheat

— Alexander Sidyakin (@A_Sidyakin) November 20, 2014

It was suggested that news of food shortages could be a special PR campaign aimed at increasing demand.

Well, the topic is not new, pay for a PR campaign for the shortage of some of your products - and they will sell it out of you; programmed deficit

— Prince of Denmark (@zehnerson) November 20, 2014

The trend of general panic and discussion of the causes of the shortage has given rise to many jokes.

@zehnerson in buckwheat equivalent

— Ivan Safronov (24+) (@isafronov) November 20, 2014

Buckwheat People's Republic

— Punisher Troll (@trollgnet) November 20, 2014

buckwheat storage

— Daria Peschikova (@Chateau_Margo) November 20, 2014

“ @RidusNews : The film crew walked 5,000 kilometers across the Russian North in search of buckwheat"

— Maxim Kononenko (@kononenkome) November 20, 2014

Chip, Dale, Rocky, Zipper and Buckwheat

— _ (@sobaka__) November 20, 2014

The taste of buckwheat was forgotten by Russians a long time ago, but it was sweeter than honey, drunker than wine

— ivan davydov (@ivan_f_davydov) November 20, 2014

Buckwheat was offered to be traded on the stock exchange, just like dollars that had recently risen in price.

It's time to shorten the buckwheat. My hands are shaking

— Gleb Pavlovsky (@GlebPavlovsky) November 20, 2014

The history of the global financial crisis: from Greece to buckwheat.

— Maxim Kashulinsky (@kashulinsky) November 20, 2014

I’m telling you, the First Buckwheat War will really happen soon. Buy weapons. pic.twitter.com/WYBMOXAklz

— Rөstәm Zalgo (@AndreyZalgo) November 20, 2014

The number of people wishing to register for a buckwheat library has increased sharply. Queues of Muscovites who want to invest their money in buckwheat at ATMs.

— Nikita V. (@bocman_azulis1) November 20, 2014

Photoshoots also appeared.

at this time in the buckwheat warehouse pic.twitter.com/Q1HIDcgekw

— Nicotinka with Eyebrows (@Yoghikitt) November 20, 2014

By the way, in Bulgarian buckwheat will be called “elda” pic.twitter.com/GmT3P7heKS

— Nicotinka with Eyebrows (@Yoghikitt) November 20, 2014

We also remembered computer games about the apocalypse.

Is there already a mod for Fallout, where the main character leaves the fur store and goes in search of a buckwheat chip to save him from a shortage of buckwheat?

— CYBERGRECHA (@Niflxeim) November 20, 2014

But rice will also become more expensive, right?

Why do you need buckwheat when you have rice? pic.twitter.com/Q9eh6OwIxN

— VietCafe (@Vietcafe) November 20, 2014

Yesterday I had a good time shopping at Lenta,
Nikita Likhachev,
T.J.

Corrections : in the original version of the article, Vladimir Petrichenko was mistakenly called the Minister of Agriculture of the Russian Federation (in fact, he is Nikolai Fedorov). TJ apologizes to readers.

#Scandal