Bread prices rise in Ukraine: by how much and why

In the first 10 days of February, most Ukrainian bread producers plan to raise prices by approximately 5% due to rising production costs.

This was stated by the first vice president of the All-Ukrainian Association of Bakers, Oleksandr Taranenko, in an interview with “Espresso”.

It is noted that since the beginning of 2026, the costs of bakery enterprises have increased by 6-7%. The main factors behind the price increase were: an almost 30% increase in the cost of electricity for businesses, an increase in the minimum wage, and fuel costs for generators due to the extremely difficult situation with electricity supply.

“It is electricity that automatically adds 2-3% to the cost of production. A separate problem is working on generators,” Taranenko explained.

He clarified that an average bakery consumes 60-70 liters of fuel per hour when the generator is running, and a large one consumes twice as much.

In winter, enterprises had to purchase Arctic diesel, which is about 8 hryvnias per liter more expensive than regular diesel. According to Taranenko, the increase in the minimum wage from January 1 also increased the overall costs of producers. That is why a slight but forced price increase will occur in February.

“But what is 5% on the price of a loaf of bread? It’s a hryvnia, maybe a hryvnia with a tail. A standard loaf of bread lasts for several days for one person, so such a price increase for the consumer is an additional few hryvnias per month. Of course, it is also unpleasant for low-income people. But such an increase will allow baking enterprises to ensure the availability of bread on store shelves and on the tables of Ukrainians,” Taranenko concluded.

Recall that in Ukraine in February, food prices are expected to increase due to additional business costs associated with power outages . At the same time, growth is being restrained by a decrease in the solvency of the population, which prevents prices from rising sharply.

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