Bakers group proposes pandesal price hike amid rising costs of raw materials in Philippines

Metro Manila (CNN Philippines, July 10) — A bakers group on Sunday said they want to increase the price of pandesal, a Filipino breakfast staple, due to the rising costs of raw materials. Princess Lunar, director of the Asosasyon ng Panaderong Pilipino, said the price increase is needed so they can maintain the quality of their products and keep their businesses alive. “Napakasakit po ‘yung pagtaas ng presyo ng mga raw material. Kaya ho ang daming community bakery ang nagsara na dahil hindi na kaya ang mga presyo,” she said in a virtual forum. [Translation: We’re hurting from the increase in prices of raw materials. That’s why there are a lot of community bakeries that have closed because they can no longer keep up with the costs of raw materials.] Lunar said they are afraid to raise their prices out of fear that their customers will buy from a bakery offering a lower price. She also said some bakeries have resorted to letting people go or making the size of the pandesal smaller ...