Mozambique: Bread prices likely to go up from April 1 – Carta

Login

Register

http://www.clubofmozambique.com/

Mozambique: Bread prices likely to go up from April 1 – Carta

3:34 CAT | 24 Mar 2021

File photo: Lusa

The price of bread, the most-consumed staple of Mozambican families, especially in urban areas, will rise from the first day of April, the Mozambican Association of Breadmakers (AMOPAO) announced this Tuesday.

Speaking to STV Notícias, AMOPAO president Victor Miguel said that the price rise was the result of increases in operating costs, and especially that of wheat flour, the main ingredient, which has risen from 1,650 to 2,100 Meticais per 50 kg sack.

“Unfortunately, the time has come when we can no longer maintain current bread prices. We have tried several times to communicate with the government, warning of increases in the price of the main raw material [wheat flour], because we can try to control other operational costs, but the basic raw material is difficult given that, from October 2020 to date, there has been an increase in the order of 24%. and this is a lot for bread-making,” Miguel said.

Because of the increase in operating costs, Miguel added, some bakeries were already losing money. Some were getting into debt with suppliers and others had simply closed.

“We deal directly with the consumer, and we know how much the population suffers, but the bakery situation is not good. We are doing this for our very survival, or we will see bread-making fall to below 50% of capacity nationwide,” Miguel explained.

The president of AMOPÃO did not specify how much the price of bread would rise by, but warned that the increase would not be uniform across the entire country, allegedly because of specificities peculiar to different regions.

Miguel did say, however, that price lists were being prepared in all provinces, and that the new prices would come into force on April 1st.

The last adjustment in the price of bread happened less than a year ago, in June 2020.

By Evaristo Chilingue

Source: Carta de Moçambique