Bread will become more expensive in Ukraine in February

In Ukraine, during the first ten days of February, producers plan to raise bread prices due to higher production costs. The increase is linked to rising electricity costs, a higher minimum wage, and fuel expenses.

This was reported by the First Vice President of the All-Ukrainian Association of Bakers, Oleksandr Taranenko.

He noted that in January the cost of electricity for enterprises rose significantly, affecting bread producers’ expenses.

“In January there was a significant increase in electricity costs — almost 30%. This automatically raises production costs by about 2–3%. In addition, the costs we incur due to power supply disruptions are usually later included in the price,” Taranenko said.

According to him, using generators further increases expenses. At an average bread plant, a generator consumes roughly 60–70 liters of fuel per hour, and at large enterprises this figure can be about twice as high. In winter, companies also have to use Arctic diesel, which is about 8 hryvnias per liter more expensive than regular fuel.

Taranenko added that the minimum wage rose from January 1, which also affected production costs. Overall, since the start of the year, expenses for baking enterprises have increased by 6–7%.

“Therefore, in the first ten days of February there is a small price increase at almost all enterprises — producers raise the cost of products by about 5%. But what is 5% on the price of a loaf of bread? It’s one hryvnia, maybe a hryvnia and a little more,” he said.

Earlier it was reported that food prices in Ukraine are expected to rise in February due to additional business costs caused by electricity outages. At the same time, the increase is constrained by declining purchasing power, which prevents sharp price jumps.