Bakers hike bread prices by Rs 3 in Thane's Badlapur due to rising raw material costs

Residents of Badlapur town in Maharashtra's Thane district have to shell out more for a loaf of bread as a bakery owners' association here hiked the price of the staple food item from Rs 20 to Rs 23 from Tuesday.

The rise in the cost of raw materials has left them with no option but to revise the prices, Kulgaon-Badlapur Bakery Owners Welfare Association's office-bearer Ayub Gadkari said.

"The cost of flour, oil, and other ingredients has gone up by nearly 20 per cent over the past year. We've held off raising prices for as long as we could, but the situation has now become unsustainable," said a member of the association.

Bread is consumed daily in various forms by a large number of households. The price increase is likely to impact families as well as small businesses that rely on bread for their meals.

While some consumers acknowledge the bakers' compulsion given the inflationary pressures, others expressed concern about the cumulative impact of the increasing prices on their household budgets.

"From edible oil to groceries, the prices of raw materials required for bread production have seen a steep increase over the past months. This has significantly impacted the operational costs for bakeries, leaving no choice but to revise the prices," Gadkari said.

The bakery owners' association representatives also said they will monitor the market conditions and strive to ensure a balance between quality and affordability.

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