Georgia, Tbilisi, Oct. 12 /Trend N.Kirtskhalia/
The price of factory based bread in Georgia baked has risen by five tetri ($1=1.66 lari) and for Georgian bread by 10 tetri.
According to the statement of the Association of Bakery Producers' Chief Levan Silagava, the reason for the rise in prices is a serious grain crisis in the world market. He said that whilst the grain harvest amounted to 685 million tons in the previous year, this year it amounts to only 655 million tons. In this regard, serious problems emerged in Russia which is one of the general suppliers of grain to Georgia and Ukraine.
When it comes to Georgia's second grain supplier, Kazakhstan, this year the grain harvest there was sufficient, but of a low quality.
New forecast indicators from the US Ministry of Agriculture, say that according to the balance of harvest collected in the world there will be a fall of more than 10 per cent, to be announced tomorrow.
According to Silagadze, grain is mostly supplied to Georgia from Russia, where prices have reached record levels in post-soviet areas - $350 per ton. Previously, imported Russian grain cost from $230-240 to $320. A sack of flour now costs respectively 44-45 lari instead of 29-30.
Some 70-100,000 tons of grain are annually supplied to Georgia, 40-50 tons of which are needed for the population.