A cup of coffee will increase by 10-30 lek in the spring due to high import prices

2025-02-19 08:07:00, Ekonomi CNA

A cup of coffee will increase by 10-30 lek in the spring due to high import

Albania is soon expected to surrender to the still acceptable prices of coffee in bars, as imports of this product are becoming increasingly expensive.

Official foreign trade data show that in January 2025, a kilogram of coffee was imported 30 percent more expensive than in January 2024.

In January last year, 486,619 kilograms of coffee were imported with a total value of 216 million lek, or 462 lek per kilogram, while in January 2025, 787,834 kilograms of coffee were imported with a value of 471.6 million lek or 598 lek per kilogram.

A comparison of import prices shows that a kilogram of coffee in January 2025 cost 30% more than in January 2024.

Enri Jahaj, Chairman of the Bar-Restaurant Association, stated that bars in our country have been in difficulty since last year because the price of coffee and cocoa, the two most sold basic products, has increased significantly in the last year. Jahaj said that in the coming months of March-April, there is expected to be a reflection in the increase in retail prices for a cup of coffee of 10-30 lek.

Due to the high competition of coffee bars, the entire increase in import prices has not been reflected in the retail cup. However, the overall increase in costs (wages, etc.) together with the increase in import prices can no longer maintain the price of coffee at the current level of an average of 70-150 lek according to the areas.

Coffee is not just a consumer product in our country, but represents a lifestyle for Albanians, whose day is not conceived without spending some time in bars to enjoy it. Coffee consumption, especially in environments outside the home, is the reason why Albania ranks among the countries with the highest number of bars and restaurants in Europe.

Analysts in international markets are reporting that climate change has been negatively affecting the prices of agricultural commodities, especially coffee, over the last two years.

The trend towards more extreme weather events will continue to hit production yields and create price increases, says a report by Inverto, an international European company specializing in supply chain management.

Extreme weather events are expected to lead to volatile food prices throughout 2025, as cocoa and coffee prices have more than doubled over the past year.

2024 as the hottest year on record, a trend toward higher temperatures that looks set to continue into 2025. Inverto predicts that a long-term trend toward more extreme weather events will continue to hit production yields, and consequently increase prices.

The highest price increases in the last year were for cocoa and coffee, 163% and 103% respectively, due to a combination of higher than average rainfall and extreme temperatures in producing regions, according to the research./ Monitor Magazine