Jerusalem – Despite the Industry, Trade and Labor Ministry’s signed order to drop the price of regulated bread by some 4% due to a reduction in global wheat prices, the price of matzot, which are also made out of wheat, will not be dropping this Passover.
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Only one mill in the country produces the special wheat used to make matzot. Since this mill, which is located in Jaffa, has been declared a monopoly, its prices are regulated by the Industry, Trade and Labor Ministry.
“This year the Industry, Trade and Labor Ministry reached an agreement with the mill on the small reduction of only 3% in wheat prices, which does not allow us, the manufacturers, to drop the prices for the consumers,” said David Wolf, CEO of Matzot Aviv.
According to Wolf, the price of matzot this year will be identical to last year’s at some NIS 15 (about $3.5) per kilogram.
The matzah product most in demand in the is the 2.5 kilogram family pack, which makes up for over 50% of matzot sales. This year, such a pack will be priced at NIS 35 ($8.4) – unchanged from 2008.
The ministry’s supervisor of prices, Zvia Dori, said the wheat issue was under meticulous inspection, and that each year an accountant is sent to the mills to price the costs. “The mill buys the wheat as early as August, and the price then was higher than the price today,” she said.
Wolf said he expects a drop in the demand for special matzot, such as flavored matzot, egg matzot or “health” matzot, due to the recession.
Instead of specialty matzot, Wolf expects a rise in demand for the regular ones. The matzah market in Israel is estimated at NIS 120 million ($28.7 million) per year.
“Despite efforts to try to reduce the price of matzot this year, since they are considered a basic and vital product, the price will remain identical to that of Passover 2008,” said Eli Gidor, the Shufersal supermarket chain’s commerce and marketing VP.
However, each year maztot are included in several different supermarket chain sales ahead of the holiday, so it is likely that this year packages at lower prices will be also available.
Not only in Jerusalem. The same is true in the US.
of course if they could rpe us with the sick prices and get away with it why not!!
Jews taking advantage of other Jews because they can. In other news, water is still wet.
With a faltering economy and wheat prices going down, when will the Yidden learn to stop doing this terrible thing of keeping prices high. This also applies to Jewish Brands and Chalav Yisroel products, which overcharge than regular brands, this is mamash a disgrace
we will just have to make our own matzohs this year if they want to rob us blind. can’t some rabbonim say something. its bad enough that the economy is in for a collapse. they should just make matzoh prices lower and this way we will all be free. I am sure that the rabbonim will have to say something.
Pesach flour is not supposed to rise!
By the way, I am sure that you all realize that these prices are for machine matzos! And Shmura mishaas tchina. Speak about Hand matza and shmurah mishaas ketzirah and the price increases by approximately 500%!!!! The economic crisis is not hitting the matzah bakeries, that’s for sure.
How would you like to be in a business where
A) For six months you produce product, pay dozens of salaries, utilities, etc., pay for for storage of the product, and you don’t have a penny coming in.
B) You need to pay rent for a full year, but only use it your place for half.
C) You have no idea how much product to produce.
D)Your product is basically worthless after Pesach, so if you produce too much, it goes to waste, but if you make too little, so many potential customers will never buy from you again.
D) You are so busy for the three weeks before Pesach you hardly get to sleep, your family doesn’t see you, and you sleep thru the first seder.
E) You spend months after Pesach trying to collect receivables from your wholesale accounts.
All for what might be a nice payoff after Pesach…or might be a bust for so many factors, and you lose your shirt.
Just food for thought. I was never in the matzo business, but was in Kosher food. Every Erev pesach I thank Hashem I’m out.
Yeh the same goes to everything a jew needs to have. you can start by 25 to 45 dollars a panel for the sukkah (Why?) and 200 for a liluv and esrog (Why?) and you can go on and on bunch of rip offs