Residents Of Kano, Kaduna Katsina, Others Groan Under  Scarcity, High Cost Of Bread

By Suleiman Anyalewechi

One of the most popular essential food items- bread – may soon disappear from the table menu of most Nigerians. This is no thanks to the escalating cost of the commodity in most parts of the country.

In Kaduna, Kano, Katsina and other States in the North-west region of the country ,the prices of bread have gone far above the pockets of the ordinary folks, according to the News Agency of Nigeria NAN.

Residents who volunteered  comments on Wednesday, July 10, 2024, said a loaf of bread that used to go for N600 has gone up to N800 in the last two days.

In other categories of the essential food items, prices have tripled  in the  last few days ,thereby making it impossible for an average consumer to afford them.

But the astronomical increase appears to have no connection with strike actions by bakery operators as being widely speculated.

Some Bakers who spoke attributed the ugly situation to the scarcity of Wheat flour, an essential ingredient in the production of bread .

” lIt is not  that we are on strike . But ,we have stopped production  since July 1, 2024 .

“This unfortunate development was necessitated by the scarcity of wheat flour and its high cost, as well as sugar, oil and other additives.

“For instance, in June,  we were buying a 50 kg bag of flour for between N53,000 and N55,000 . But it has now regrettably skyrocketed to between N67,000 and N70,000.

“How can we produce bread and also break even under this precarious situation?” a Baker told NAN in Kaduna .

Consequently, many shop operators and  consumers have raised the alarm that one of the most  consumed food items by the ordinary people has now gone beyond their reach.

In Kano, Katsina and adjourning North-west States, consumers have resorted to other items considered to be cheaper to remain afloat .

They have had to seek succor in alternatives such as noodles, millet porridge ,bean cake as beans seems to be relatively cheaper in the Northern region, but not in most southern parts where it is even more expensive than rice..

On the average, the prices of bread not minding the size ,have gone up by as much as between 20 and 40 percent in the last few days in Kano ,Kaduna, Katsina and other parts of the Northwest region.

“The people have, therefore, called on the authorities to rise to the occasion, before the situation gets out of hand .

” I went to the shop in the morning to buy bread ,which we could  use as breakfast in my house ,but unfortunately, I couldn’t get it .

“I had to buy spaghetti for the children to eat and go to school since there was no bread .I hope the issue will be alleviated soon” Abdullahi Muhammad a Kaduna resident told the NAN.