Bakers, brewers and dairy farms brace for price hikes

Bakeries, brewers and milk producers are expecting the increase in the price of grains triggered by the Ukraine war to drive their costs higher with many saying they plan to absorb the blow for as long as financially feasible.

On Tuesday, Times of Malta reported how Malta’s biggest importer of grains, Federated Mills, warned of the possibility that other countries will start to restrict exports of grains and called for a national strategy on the importation of wheat.

While the problem is not imminent, it may affect the supply of products on the local market in the long run.

Bread

Klara Fava, from Golden Harvest bakery, said that since the war was impacting the biggest exporters of wheat – Ukraine and Russia – with neighbouring countries holding on to their supplies, this was set to impact the cost of producing bread.

“Our main ingredients are flour and water. We use thousands of tonnes of flour… the situation is not looking hopeful unless the government intervenes to support,” she said.

Fava said that while importing wheat from other countries, like France and Germany, was an option, it was more costly since labour costs and transport fees were higher.

She noted that this was...