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Bread prices up?

by Rajmi Manatunga

The price of bread is likely to go up soon in line with the recent wheat flour hike with bakery owners considering a one rupee increase in the price of a loaf of bread.

A spokesman for the Bakery Owners Association told the Daily News that they decided to raise the price of bread as Prima, which holds the monopoly to import wheat flour last week increased the price of flour milled at their Trincomalee factory. "An increase in the price of bread is inevitable as wheat flour, the principal ingredient for bread, has gone up by Rs 1.50. Prices of other flour types manufactured by Prima have also been increased.

"The bakery owners cannot afford such a price hike. Therefore, we decided that bread prices should also go up on account of the wheat flour hike," he said.

Last week Prima increased the price of wheat flour from Rs 18 to Rs 19.50. The prices of Prima Red and Green flour also rose along with wheat flour by 50 cents and Rs 2.30 respectively. Consumer Affairs Ministry sources told the Daily News that the Ministry has no authority to stop the bakery owners' decision as the price of wheat flour had also gone up. "However the Minister will try to minimise the consumers' burden by discussing this with bakery owners," he said.

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