Newsroom
Potatoes have become the talk of the town in Cyprus, but not for the usual reasons. The price of this staple food has seen a dramatic rise, and it’s causing some serious stir—especially in the occupied areas, where people are lining up at "agricultural institute" outlets to grab cheaper potatoes imported from Turkey.
According to the latest Consumer Price Index data from the Cyprus Consumer Association, potatoes saw the sharpest price jump in November. Compared to October, the price of potatoes rose by an eye-watering 30.61%. And it’s not just a short-term spike—compared to November 2023, prices have shot up by 57.21%. This price increase has left many people scrambling to find affordable options, leading to queues at the limited outlets offering discounted potatoes.
In the occupied areas, the price of locally available potatoes had surged to 100 Turkish lira (around €2.73) per kilo, prompting some restaurants to remove potatoes from their menus entirely. To combat the growing issue, the 'government' in the occupied areas announced that potatoes would be imported from Turkey. The first shipment arrived recently, and now people are flocking to outlets where potatoes are selling for a much more affordable 26 TL per kilo, including VAT. In comparison, supermarket prices for potatoes are running at 32 TL per kilo, making the agricultural institute outlets a popular choice for bargain hunters.
Meanwhile, across Cyprus, inflation has been rising steadily. November saw an overall inflation rate of 1.5%, up from 0.9% in October. While the food category recorded a slight decrease of 2.26% compared to October, the overall trend from January to November 2024 shows a 2.96% increase compared to the same period in 2023. It's clear that inflation is putting a strain on household budgets, with some food items like potatoes seeing major price hikes.
Besides potatoes, other products also saw notable increases in November, including dried vegetables (up 10.49%) and home services for the elderly (up 10.44%). On the flip side, fresh vegetables, excluding potatoes, saw a significant drop of 23.14%.
The rise in potato prices is just one example of the broader trend of inflation hitting the island. Compared to last year, November saw significant price hikes in potatoes (57.21%), olive oil (47.47%), and passenger transport (20.16%). However, not all news is bad—there were also decreases in sugar (down 23.21%), liquid fuels (down 15.03%), and garden furniture (down 11.94%).
In the occupied areas, inflation is even more pronounced, with a staggering 51.63% increase compared to December 2023 and 59.88% compared to November last year. Among the biggest price increases in November were cucumbers (up 106.56%), newspapers (up 100%), and state lottery tickets (up 87.5%).
As Cypriots on both sides of the divide deal with rising costs, the need for strategic solutions to manage inflation and ensure affordable access to essential goods—like potatoes—has never been clearer. For now, though, it's the long queues for potatoes that are making headlines.
