The price of bread may rise significantly in the next few days if the threat by bakers in the country to embark on strike is anything to go by. The strike has been scheduled to begin in three weeks. The price of bread, a major staple among Nigerians, apart from rice and beans has gone up in the last few months due to the ongoing war in Ukraine, which started in February following the invasion of the country by Russia.
Russia and Ukraine are world’s biggest exporters of grains including wheat, used in producing bread flour. The war has hampered the export of the product from the war thorn country, even as economics predicts more food scarcity if the war persists.
According to the umbrella body of bread bakers in Nigeria, the Association of Master Bakers and Caterers of Nigeria, AMBCN the strike has become imminent due to the rising cost of flour, sugar and other ingredients used in the production of bread.
AMBCN said they will only abort the planned strike if the federal government intervened. The bread makers said they have been neglected by the government who has failed to listen to their calls to intervene over the rising costs bakery ingredients.
The association said this on Friday in a communiqué issued after a meeting of its national executive council in Abuja.
In the communiqué, signed by Mansur Umar, the national president of AMBCN, the bakers said they would embark on a nationwide strike from July 13, 2022.
The bakers said the cost of flour, sugar and other materials used in the bakery business had soared beyond the reach of many bakers, saying they are no longer making profits.
AMBCN said, “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,” it reads.
“The National Wheat Cultivation Committee already constituted is yet to be inaugurated after over one year. NAFDAC, SON, and NESREA have turned the bakers into money-making machines 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.”
Since the beginning of the year, the price of bread has risen sharply by at least 40 per cent even as analyst doubts price stability in months ahead due to inflation and the war in Ukraine.
In March, the bakers warned that many of their members will not be able to remain in business due to the rising cost of bread ingredients and other raw materials, including diesel.
March, bakers complained that the hike in diesel price and exchange rate volatility caused many of its members across the country to shut down their business operation
Discover more from The Source
Subscribe to get the latest posts sent to your email.
