Prices of butter in Poland have become not only a subject of economical debate, but besides a field for political pushovers. The symbol of expensiveness in Polish stores attracted the attention of both the rulers and the opposition, which caused an avalanche of opinions and comments. But can the price of butter actually be reduced by political declarations? The dairy manufacture experts explain why this is unlikely.
Prices of butter as a symbol of expensiveness
At 1 of the press conferences, Law and Justice politicians symbolically closed the butter cube in the safe, calling it a "treasure symbol". According to them, the advanced price of butter is the consequence of the erroneous economical policy of erstwhile governments. However, specified rhetoric was criticised by both the opposition and experts, who point to global conditions that form food prices.
Can the president lower butter prices?
In the context of political promises, peculiar attention was paid to Adam Sz Trapka's declaration from the Civic Coalition, which suggested that after the win of Rafał Trzaskowski in the presidential election, the butter price could fall to PLN 5 per ankle. A dairy expert, Marcin Hydzik, rapidly denied these claims, stressing that the costs of producing butter are mostly independent of political decisions.
The hydwig pointed to 3 key factors affecting prices: falling global milk production, increasing labour, energy and transport costs, and pro-climate exacerbations introduced by the European Union. As a result, even extremist political changes in the country would not be able to importantly affect the prices of dairy products.
Butter marketplace in Poland
Poland is 1 of the largest butter producers in the European Union, with dairy cooperatives specified as Milkvita, Mlekpol and Polmlek as the main driver of the market. These companies control around 70% of the home market, meaning that the prices of butter on the shelves are mostly determined by local producers.
Currently butter prices in Poland scope from 8 to 10 zł per 200-gram cube, depending on the quality and place of purchase. By comparison, in 2020 the price of butter was on average PLN 5-6, which means an increase of over 50% in respective years. This increase is linked to global trends, including the volatility of prices of dairy natural materials on global markets.
Will butter prices fall soon?
Experts agree that the simplification in butter prices is shortly unlikely. advanced energy, transport and natural materials costs make it impossible for producers to importantly reduce prices without hazard of financial losses. Moreover, climate change and associated restrictions on milk production may further increase costs in the future.
At the same time, consumers in Poland are increasingly looking for cheaper alternatives, specified as margarines or butter blends with vegetable oils, which partially influence the change in purchasing preferences. However, this does not change the fact that butter remains 1 of the most crucial products in Polish households.
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