The Association of Bakers and Pastry Chefs called on the authorities to limit wheat exports, as the price of the grain has almost doubled year on year due to the fighting in Ukraine.
If no measures are taken, the country may face a deficit of this key product, which will lead to a sharp increase in the price of bread, up to 60 crowns per kilogram.
Many countries in Asia and Africa depend on imports of cereals from Russia and Ukraine, but now due to the war, they have to buy raw materials in other countries, including the Czech Republic.
According to Bohumil Hlavatý, executive director of the Association of Bakers and Pastry Chefs, “the Czech Republic is completely self-sufficient in the production of wheat, which is an essential raw material for Czech pastries, and exports a significant part of its production. Unfortunately, the current situation affected by the war in Ukraine has increased the price of wheat year-on-year by 100 percent.”
As a result of the increase in the prices of raw materials, fuel and energy, Mr Hlavatý says bakeries saw their costs rise by more than 30 percent in January compared to the same month last year.
The price of rolls and bread only rose by around 10 to 15 percent, while prices of fine or sweet pastries increased by 10 to 20 percent.
A kilo of caraway bread cost CZK 31.14 on average last week, which is an increase by CZK 0.8 since January. The price of a kilogram of white wheat bread averaged CZK 56.43, a rise of around CZK 1.50 compared to January.
