The milling industry has announced fresh increases to the price of bread and maize meal.
With immediate effect a 10 kg Roller Meal has increased by 52% to ZWD1, 665.00 from ZWD1,099.00.
One tone of Wheat Bread flour is set to increase by 31% to ZWD 215,000 from ZWD 164,523 per metric tonne.
Grain Millers Association of Zimbabwe (GMAZ) chair Tafadzwa Musarara said the increase was the result of subsisting global food inflation crisis and prices may rise further because of supply chain challenges.
Russia and Ukraine control more than a quarter of the world’s wheat exports, and Russia’s invasion of Ukraine has caused a surge in the price of essential grains.
“With effect from Monday 11 April, 2022, price of grain from Grain Marketing Board (GMB) to Millers went up. Commercial white maize price increased by 50 % to ZWD75,000 per metric tonne from ZWD 50,000 per metric tonne,” Musarara said in a statement.
“Wheat rose by 17.8% to ZWD 66,000.00 per metric tonne from ZWD56,000 per metric ton.”
“These increments are substantial and millers cannot absorb them. At its urgent virtual meeting of yesterday, the GMAZ Secretariat reported the following price movements; a) 10 kg Roller Meal to increase by 52% to ZWD1, 665.00 from ZWD1,099.00 b) 1 tone of Wheat Bread flour to increase by 31% to ZWD 215,000 from ZWD 164,523 per metric tonne.” he continued.
“These price increments are with immediate effect. However, individual millers and wholesale/retailers are free to negotiate for price discounts. The costs of packaging, labor, transport, electricity and imported wheat continue to militate against price stabilization efforts.”
“We assure the consuming public that our scientific computation model remains reasonable, justified and we have been restraintful in our cost accumulation.
“The milling industry remains most indebted to Ministries of Agriculture, Finance and Industry for the ongoing engagements which are aimed at achieving affordability and availability of our products. The subsisting global food inflation crisis is causing serious head winds, and Zimbabwe is not spared. Similar price increase of Maize Meal and Bread flour are also being experienced in other regional countries such as Botswana, South Africa et al.”
