A year ago, a kilo of tortilla was worth 18 pesos in Mexico City and its metropolitan area. At the beginning of February of this year, the kilo was already worth 20 pesos and rose to 22.76 pesos on average at the end of this month, an increase of more than 12% in a single month and 26% compared to the price of 2022, from according to data from the National Market Information and Integration System.
This price increase in CDMX is due to an update and adjustment to the increase in costs in recent months, said Homero López, president of the National Tortilla Council.
The worst news is that an increase in the prices of flours such as Maseca and other brands is projected. This input is used by at least 48% of the tortilla producers in the country, mainly in the interior states of the republic, since nixtamalized corn is still used in the metropolitan area of Mexico City.
The effect of the increase in the cost of flour -product of the persistent war between Russia and Ukraine- will be an increase of at least 1 extra peso per kilo of tortilla. In the rest of the states, the kilo of the tortilla can go from 24 to 30 pesos, said Homero López.
It is not an excuse to raise the price of tacos
Homero López warned that the increase in the price of tortillas in CDMX should not be an excuse for taco shops to raise the price of tacos in the same proportion.
He explained that a kilo of conventional tortilla, 15 centimeters in diameter, contains between 48 and 50 pieces. But that a kilo of tortilla for tacos can contain up to 80 pieces, so the impact of the increase for each piece is marginal and should not lead to an increase of two or three pesos per taco.
At least not because of the tortilla factor, since the increases in meat, vegetables, among other inputs is another story.
