Russia's largest greenhouse vegetable producer, GK Rost, reported a sharp slowdown in business growth in 2025. GK Rost operates 22 greenhouse complexes across Russia, producing mainly tomatoes, lettuce and cucumbers.
According to preliminary data from the company, revenue increased by 10% year-on-year to RUB 81.9 billion, compared with growth of 59.4% in 2024, when revenue reached RUB 73.8 billion. Total vegetable output rose by 2% to 458,000 tonnes in 2025. Other financial indicators were not disclosed.
In 2025, tomatoes accounted for 57% of total revenue, cucumbers for 42%, and eggplants, peppers and lettuce for 1%. The share of tomatoes in revenue increased by 5 percentage points over the year (by 12,000 tonnes), while cucumbers declined by 4 percentage points.
The company's performance reflects broader market trends. According to the Association Teplitsy Rossii, the total area of winter greenhouses in Russia expanded by 3.3% in 2025 to 3,460 hectares. However, vegetable production grew by only 1.4% to 1.66 million tonnes.
Average greenhouse vegetable yields declined by 2.3% to 47.6 kg per square metre in 2025, according to Teplitsy Rossii. Tamara Reshetnikova, CEO of Growth Technologies, said yields have shown a steady decline. She linked this partly to changing demand patterns, with producers expanding plantings of lower-yield hybrids such as cherry and Baku-type tomatoes amid efforts to diversify assortments. She also pointed to increasing market saturation.
Retail data indicate limited consumption growth. According to NTech, sales volumes in the vegetable category remained unchanged year-on-year in 2025.
Reshetnikova also noted that the spread of plant diseases has affected yields. Tomatoes have become more vulnerable to tobamoviruses and mosaic viruses, a trend she associates with the overall expansion of vegetable production.
Price growth for vegetables in 2025 was more moderate than in 2024, which may also have influenced revenue dynamics. According to Rosstat, cucumbers showed the most pronounced increase. In January 2026, the average retail price reached RUB 299 per kg (approximately €3.00), up 33.67% year-on-year. Tomatoes rose by 18.25% to RUB 254.54 per kg (approximately €2.55). Price trends were uneven across categories. Sweet peppers declined by 2.2% year-on-year to RUB 313.27 per kg (approximately €3.15).
Source: finance.mail.ru
