Bread manufacturers propose Pinoy Pandesal, Pinoy Tasty price hike

The price of bread has gone up because of the hike in the cost of ingredients, and this may also affect the price of affordable Pinoy Pandesal and Pinoy Tasty, a group of bread manufacturers said.

The Philippine Baking Industry Group (PhilBaking) is asking for price increases of P2.50 for each pack of Pinoy Pandesal and up to P4.50 for Pinoy Tasty, the Department of Trade and Industry (DTI) said, according to a report by Bernadette Reyes on Saksi on Monday.

The present price for a pack of 10 pieces of Pinoy Pandesal is P21.50 while one pack of Pinoy Tasty costs P35.

"Dahil tayo ay walang sariling trigo, bumibili tayo sa ibang bansa. Siyempre, we are dependent doon sa global prices. Parang gasolina 'yan (Since we do not grow our own wheat, we buy these from other countries. Of course we are dependent on global prices. It's just like the price of gasoline). Bakers are stuck with expensive wheat if they still want quality," said PhilBaking president Johnlu Koa.

According to DTI, it has been five years since a price increase was implemented on Pinoy Pandesal and Pinoy Tasty.

This time, there is ample basis to impose a price increase, the DTI said.

DTI Undersecretary Ruth Castelo said the price increase may range from one peso to two pesos.

She added that if the manufacturers do not implement a price increase, "the company will suffer the brunt."

However, the group Laban Konsumer voiced hope that the price increase, if imposed, would not go beyond one peso.

"Ire-recover lang nila. They will just recover what they lost over the past two years. Expectation ko should be P0.50 or P1," said Atty. Vic Dimagiba, Laban Konsumer president. -- BAP/KG, GMA News