A producer from Orhei increased the price of bread by 10%. Acting Minister of Agriculture and Food Industry Vasile Bumacov said more bakeries could raise the prices in the immediate future.
Contacted by IPN, the director of the Orhei bread making company Ion Brodetski said they had to increase the price of bread from 3 lei to 3.20 lei because the price of wheat rose from 2.70-2.80 lei in December to 3 lei in February.
According to Vasile Bumacov, other producers are also expected to put the prices up given the depreciation of the leu. “We should not pretend not to see what is going on. I spoke to producers and told them that it will be very hard in spring as they purchase chemicals and other products imported in foreign currency. How can I say that the price of wheat will not go up? What should the people do when they have to repay loans and to start the spring plowing campaign?” he asked.
The largest bread producer “Franzeluta” does not yet intend to raise prices. The company’s director Victor Cojocaru has told IPN that they will wait for the end-February results to assess the costs of electricity and raw material. “It’s evident that the prices will have to be amended. In Chisinau there are bakeries that are to decide whether to raise prices or to close down. We will not yet resort to changes, but will see how we resist,” he stated.
Following the depreciation of the Moldovan leu, a number of products grew dearer on the home market, including the flour, rice, and candies.
