Due to the war in Ukraine, bread in the EU has become more expensive than ever.
Naples, however, is the least expensive of Italy's major cities: a kilo of bread costs €2,16, while in Milan it reaches €4,46 per kilo. In August, Eurostat reports, the price of bread in the EU rose by an average of 18% compared to 2021, a "huge increase," given that in August 2021 it had risen by "only" 3% compared to August 2020. The primary cause of the high bread prices is the war in Ukraine, the statistics institute explains, given that both Russia and Ukraine are major grain exporters.
From wheat to bread, prices are increasing more than tenfold due to record increases in energy, feed, and fertilizer prices triggered by the war in Ukraine and distortions within supply chains that are impoverishing citizens' pockets and harming farmers.
Coldiretti denounced this in its comments on Eurostat's analysis, which found that the cost of bread has never been higher in the EU, rising by an average of 18% in August compared to the same month in 2021.
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A kilo of wheat currently costs farmers around 36 cents and is used to produce a kilo of bread, which is sold to consumers at prices ranging from 3 to 5 euros depending on the city, according to Coldiretti. The impact of the cost of wheat on the price of bread therefore remains marginal, averaging about 10%, as demonstrated by the extreme variability of retail prices across Italy, while wheat prices are directly influenced by international prices.
While a one-kilogram loaf of bread costs €4,46 in Milan, it's around €2,92 in Rome, €4,91 in Bologna, €3,89 per kilo on average in Palermo, and €2,16 in Naples, according to Coldiretti's calculations of data from the Ministry of Economic Development's Price Observatory in July. Furthermore, consumer prices—Coldiretti continues—have never fallen in recent years despite the strong volatility of wheat prices, which have long been below production costs. Although the 30% drop in harvests has limited product availability in Italy, wheat is currently being underpaid to farmers.
The war has therefore multiplied - Coldiretti underlines - speculative maneuvers and unfair practices on food products, which range from attempts to reduce the quality of products offered on the shelves to misleading labels to cuts in compensation recognized to farmers, worsening a situation that sees our country dependent on foreign imports already for 64% of the soft wheat needed for bread, biscuits, and sweets.
"It is necessary to reduce dependence on foreign countries and work immediately towards supply chain agreements between agricultural and industrial companies with precise qualitative and quantitative objectives and fair prices that never fall below production costs as provided for by the new law to combat unfair practices. states the president of Coldiretti Ettore Prandini in underlining that- We also need to invest in increasing production and land yields with rainwater storage basins to combat drought, seriously combat the invasion of wildlife that is forcing land abandonment in many inland areas, and support public research with technological innovation to support production, protect biodiversity, and as a tool for responding to climate change.
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