Heavy rain hits Swiss grain Bread and flour become more expensive after disastrous harvest
Persistent rainfall in spring and summer has led to crop failures for wheat and other bread grains. This is driving up prices. Coop is already asking for more, bakers are still hesitant. They are afraid of losing their customers.
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- Bread and flour are becoming more expensive in Switzerland.
- The cause is a poor wheat harvest.
- Farmers have described the situation as catastrophic, while bakers' costs have gone through the roof.
- Bakers and retailers are struggling with high raw material, personnel and energy costs.
According to a report in "Blick", bread and flour are becoming more expensive in Switzerland. The cause is a poor wheat harvest. Farmers described the situation as catastrophic, while bakers' costs have gone through the roof.
Migros is still doing the math. However, the Basel retailer Coop has already warned of price adjustments on small and large breads and has increased prices - by 4.5 to 9.1 percent.
The newspaper does the math: The price of half-white bread (1kg) from the Prix Garantie low-cost line will rise by 20 centimes to 2.60 francs, the Naturaplan organic country bread roll will cost 10 centimes more than before at 1.30 francs, and the Parisette (100g) will also increase in price by 10 centimes to 1.20 francs.
Industry organization sounds the alarm
The industry organization Swiss Granum for cereals, oilseeds and protein plants is sounding the alarm, reports the newspaper. Granum deputy director Thomas Weisflog estimates that the harvest volume for Swiss bread wheat and barley this year will be a third lower than last year.
The organization cited "exceptional weather conditions in spring and summer", i.e. a lot of rain and significantly less sunshine than the average in recent years, as the reasons.
Lorenz Hirt from the umbrella organization of Swiss millers describes the 2024 harvest as "miserable". Now the members of the Association of Bakers and Confectioners will also have to raise prices, reports Blick. However, master baker Manfred Hasler from Schönbühl-Urtenen BE warned that the bakeries and confectioners would no longer be able to pass on the price increases to their customers, as they would otherwise run the risk of losing some of their clientele.
Less bread grain and additional costs in agriculture
Retailers and bakers are blaming the increased prices on crop failures in bread grain, especially wheat, and additional costs in agricultural production.