Gas prices: the bill soars for SMEs

In greenhouses located at nouvoitou in Ille-et-Vilaine, Christophe grows tomatoes. But with soaring gas prices, he had to shut down his boilers. “Before the price increase, it was already a quarter of our production cost, so there, as we multiplied the price of gas by ten (…) we would have more gas bills than turnover, so we made the choice to stop”he says. The tomatoes therefore grow much more slowly without heating and Christophe loses 40% of his production.

Companies do not benefit from the gas tariff shield. In a bakery near Brest (Finistère), the boss is doing everything possible to limit his energy consumption. For example, he reduced his cooking time by 10%, “but we will never save the increase, it is not possible”he says. Added to this is the rise in the price of wheat and electricity. He is looking for solutions to maintain his prices. The government is considering measures to help the most fragile businesses.