In Mexico, the corn tortilla It is a staple food that is part of the diet of millions of people. The price of the tortilla may vary depending on various factors, such as the cost of corn, energy used for the production, labor and inflation.
The increase in the price of tortilla has been a matter of concern for many Mexicans, especially those with low income who depend on tortillas as part of their daily diet.
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To deal with this problem, the mexican government It has implemented various measures, such as price regulation and the importation of corn from other countries. However, the problem of the increase in the tortilla price it still persists and continues to be a challenge for the country.
just in 2020in the first months of the pandemic COVID-19, The tortilla makers warned about the shortage of corn and warned of an imminent rise in its price. But few listened. For 2021, the price of a kilo of tortillas inevitably rose and went from 16 to 20 pesos. And since then, the pressures continue and little by little they encourage it to continue growing.
According to the president of the National Chamber of the Dough and Tortilla Production Industry, Ruben Montalvofrom the first day of marchthe companies that produce corn flour for this product, Maseca and Minsa, that supply a good part of the country’s tortilla makers, increased the price of the tonwhich will impact the price of that food in the medium term.
“On average, the last price higher than me that I have detected here is 18,240 pesos; If you add the 1,250 that are increasing right now, the ton of flour would be 19,490 pesos more or less,” said.
The lproducer leader He stated that although the impact will not be immediate, since several of the producers supplied themselves with the input before the increase, therefore the need to adjust the sale price of the tortillas will take up to a month. But afterwards, maintaining the price will be unsustainable for most of them.
“Some will not go up this week because they bought material before, as they had already been notified of the increase a month ago, because they tried to buy a little more to take a little longer to buy with the new price,” detailed.
How much does a kilo of tortillas cost?
From 2021he price of a kilogram of tortillas reached the 20 pesos on average in the countryalthough in some places it was found in up to 30 pesos during the last quarter of 2022.
For the first months of 2023, tortillas stabilized their price and the greatest offer from self-service stores, which can optimize resources due to the use of ingredients other than those of tortilla shops, even if their quality is sacrificed a little, you can offer it in up to 12 pesosaccording to him National Market Information and Integration System (SNIIM).
According to official data, the weighted average price as of last Friday, March 3, was 22.24 pesos per kilo of tortillas, 12 cents more than at the beginning of the year. But with the increase in the ton of corn flour, the price will tend to be higher, Montalvo said.
“If we think that it costs 22 pesos, well I think it’s around 50 cents, something like that. But yeah, it’s a small increase.”warned the leading representative of tortilla manufacturers.
