… Accuses NAFDAC, SON, NESREA of turning them into money-making machine
Very soon, bread, the most common food in the stable of Nigerians would either be scarce or would not be available for the down-trodden masses who rely on it for their daily survival.
This is because the prices of the ingredients for making the product have gone up and it has almost become impossible to get or purchase them
Consequently, the Bread producers and caterers, has threatened to withdraw their services nationwide on account of the huge increase in bakery materials and the neglect of the Federal Government’s blind eyes to reverse the situation.
Already the price of bread has been going up while the quality and weight have shrunk abysmally to the extent that a five-year child can hardly eat the smallest loave of bread in the market and be satisfied.
The threat was contained in a communiqué issued by the national body of the bakers and Caterer – Association of Master Bakers and Caterers of Nigeria.
They stated that the cost of flour, sugar and other materials used in bakery business had gone beyond the reach of many bakers.
The bakers stated that they would down tools from July 13, 2022, and lamented that efforts to get government’s intervention in the matter had been unsuccessful, as there had been no positive response from the concerned ministries, departments and agencies of government.
The association’s executives, led by its National President, Mansur Umar, stated that the council reviewed the “neglect of the Federal Government in addressing the challenges facing our sector as captured in our letters acknowledged by the Federal Ministry of Industry, Trade and Investment, Federal Ministry of Finance, Central Bank of Nigeria and unproductive intervention of the Secretary to the Government of the Federation.
He added: “Increase in prices of bakery materials especially flour and sugar having reached unprecedented levels, for example, flour is now between N25,000 and N27,500, so also other ingredients.
“The National Wheat Cultivation Committee already constituted is yet to be inaugurated after over one year. NAFDAC, SON, NESREA have turned the bakers into money-making machine by charging our members outrageous levies even at this very challenging moment.
“Consequently, the NEC in session resolved that all zones, state, Local Governments and units of our association should commence full mobilisation of our members nationwide to embark on withdrawal of services starting from Wednesday July 13, 2022 for an initial period of two weeks. The, however, noted that its “members should await further directives.”
Since the war started, global wheat, sunflower, and oil crude prices have soared to unprecedented levels. Africa is heavily reliant on food imports from both countries, and the Continent is already experiencing price shocks and disruptions in the supply chain of these commodities.
The conflict will likely impact food security in Africa. Both through availability and pricing in some food crops, particularly wheat and sunflower, as well as socio-economic recovery and growth, triggered by rising uncertainties in global financial markets and supply chain systems.
Over the past decade, the Continent has seen growing demand for cereal crops, including wheat and sunflower, which has been mainly supported by imports than local production. Africa’s wheat imports increased by 68 percent between 2007 to 2019, surging to 47 million tonnes.
Russia and Ukraine, both often referred to as the world’s breadbasket, are major players in the export of wheat and sunflower to Africa. North Africa (Algeria, Egypt, Libya, Morocco, and Tunisia), Nigeria in West Africa, Ethiopia and Sudan in East Africa, and South Africa account for 80 percent of wheat imports. Wheat consumption in Africa is projected to reach 76.5 million tonnes by 2025, of which 48.3 million tonnes or 63.4 percent is projected to be imported outside of the Continent.
Olusola Bello
