Food prices, which are regularly monitored by the Czech Statistical Office (ČSÚ), mostly rose in June compared to May. Overall, ten out of 13 items went up in price, the most being potatoes, white yogurt and apples. The same products for which Czechs paid more in June compared to May, with the exception of caraway bread, also cost more compared to January of this year. The CZSO reported on this on its website. On the contrary, year-on-year food prices, according to published data, tended to fall. Eggs, flour and sugar have become cheaper by more than a fifth. The prices of items that the CZSO determines once in the field are not included in the calculation of monthly consumer prices.
The price of a kilogram of table potatoes rose by 16.38 percent to 32.61 crowns in June, making it the most since the beginning of this year. This year, potatoes are the only item that is significantly more expensive every month compared to last year. The chairman of the Czech Potato Association, Josef Králíček, previously told ČTK that the reason behind the increase in potato prices is, among other things, a long-term drought and a bad harvest.
The second highest month-on-month price increase was in June for white yogurt, which rose by 8.95 percent to 11.57 crowns. It was followed by a kilogram of table apples with a price of 39 crowns, which was 4.19 percent more than in May, and a kilogram brick of edamame, which was 2.84 percent more expensive, i.e. at 183.95 crowns. On the contrary, year-on-year in June, in addition to eggs, flour and sugar, a liter of milk also became cheaper, by 11.83 percent to 24.36 crowns.
Production prices in agriculture decreased in June for the 14th month in a row, according to data published today by the CZSO, but slowed their decline from May’s 10.1 percent to 7.5 percent. In plant production, prices were lower by 12.6 percent year-on-year, in livestock by 1.4 percent. According to the analysts contacted by ČTK, the current development of production prices in agriculture and the food industry does not give reason to increase the price of food for final consumers.
Year-on-year inflation slowed to two percent in June, while consumer prices rose by 2.6 percent in May, the CZSO reported earlier. The reduction of the overall price level was also influenced by the prices of food and non-alcoholic beverages. In a month-on-month comparison, inflation fell by 0.3 percent.
At the beginning of this year, food was reclassified to a lower VAT rate of 12 percent. On the contrary, most beverages have moved to the basic VAT rate of 21 percent.
Development of food prices:
| Item | June 2023 (in CZK) | January 2024 (in CZK) | May 2024 (in CZK) | June 2024 (in CZK) | June 2024/June 2023 | June 2024/January 2024 | June 2024/May 2024 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Roast pork (1 kg) | 170,89 | 174,14 | 178,09 | 180,95 | 5,89 % | 3,91 % | 1,61 % |
| Semi-skimmed pasteurized milk (1 l) | 27,63 | 24,09 | 23,95 | 24,36 | -11,83 % | 1,12 % | 1,71 % |
| Eidam brick (1 kg) | 183,24 | 183,57 | 178,87 | 183,95 | 0,39 % | 0,21 % | 2,84 % |
| White low-fat yogurt (150 g) | 12,50 | 11,56 | 10,62 | 11,57 | -7,44 % | 0,09 % | 8,95 % |
| Fresh chicken eggs (10 pcs) | 57,42 | 46,58 | 44,72 | 44,61 | -22,04 % | -4,23 % | -0,25 % |
| Butter (1 kg) | 196,36 | 208,02 | 208,35 | 213,45 | 8,7 % | 2,61 % | 2,45 % |
| Plain wheat flour (1 kg) | 23,50 | 20,40 | 19,18 | 18,32 | -22,04 % | -10,2 % | -4,48 % |
| Caraway bread (1 kg) | 39,70 | 38,74 | 38,04 | 38,06 | -4,13 % | -1,76 % | 0,05 % |
| White wheat pastry (1 kg) | 70,46 | 67,64 | 67,12 | 68,19 | -3,22 % | 0,81 % | 1,59 % |
| Crystal sugar (1 kg) | 33,32 | 29,90 | 26,55 | 26,47 | -20,56 % | -11,47 % | -0,3 % |
| Draft beer, light, bottled (0.5 l) | 13,83 | 14,60 | 14,98 | 15,39 | 11,28 % | 5,41 % | 2,74 % |
| Table potatoes (1 kg) | 29,31 | 27,70 | 28,02 | 32,61 | 11,26 % | 17,73 % | 16,38 % |
| Eating apples (1 kg) | 37,33 | 37,15 | 37,43 | 39,00 | 4,47 % | 4,98 % | 4,19 % |
source: CZSO
Source: www.tyden.cz
