On the inflation front, Bruno Le Maire maintains his forecasts of a start to decline “mid-2023”, he told the Europe 1 microphone on Tuesday. But this slowdown could be faster given the current drop in energy, transport merchandise and raw material prices.
“I sent a letter to all the big industrialists, it is not going to worry the small SMEs, saying: I follow the prices of wheat, they have almost halved in a few months, I follow the prices of energy, they have gone down, I continue sea freight rates have also gone down”, explains the Bercy lessee.
Food prices: +15.8% in March
“So we hope that these reductions in wholesale prices, in transport prices will be reflected in food prices as soon as possible before the summer. I have sent this letter to the main manufacturers asking them to resume trade negotiations with distributors and that prices can drop as quickly as possible,” he stresses.
As a reminder, inflation slowed in France in March to 5.6% annually, from 6.3% in February, according to an initial estimate by INSEE.
While energy prices have risen by just under 5%, where they had risen nearly 30% between March 2021 and March 2022, the rise in food prices has further accelerated to 15.8 % in a year, after 14.8% in a year in February. .
In detail, fresh products rose 16.6% in one year (after 15% in February), and other food products 15.6% (compared to 14.8%).
Source: BFM TV
