Speaker Igor Grosu says the decision by Franzeluța, Moldova’s largest bread producer, to raise prices was to be expected, as the company had been operating at a loss since November. However, he promises the government will find ways to help people out by increasing pensions and salaries.

Grosu, who is also the acting president of the governing party PAS, says this is a consequence of increased prices on raw materials, fuels and gas: relying greatly on imports, Moldova also imports inflation as a result.

“Franzeluța is the last company to increase bread prices. They have been trying to raise the price since November, they have been in trouble ever since. Franzeluța had no other choice but to raise the price, except for the ‘social bread’. Moreover, it increased the production of ‘social bread’ by 50%. This decision was determined by the increase in prices on everything, on all the products they use in bakery. What we can do is to compensate for this: increase pensions, salaries, identify money to help people out”, Igor Grosu told a talk show on M1.

He added that the government will soon announce new measures to support people in these times of crisis.

“There are things that we cannot influence, like fuel and gas prices, but there are things that we can influence from within and this is what Government intends to do. In the next period, the Government will announce support for the most vulnerable, those most affected by these increases. We are going through a complicated period, we need support from each other and more empathy. In addition, the EU Delegation came with a very good announcement: it will provide help for the elderly, for those who are not connected to gas, it will provide 1,000 lei for 40,000 beneficiaries ", said the Speaker.

Earlier this week, Franzeluța raised prices by an average 27%, except on the so-called “social bread” types intended for low-income buyers. At the same time, the company announced it was increasing “social bread” production by 54%.