Bakers lament unstable price of flour, baking items

 

Bakers in Kebbi State who are currently groaning under the unstable price of flour and baking items have called on President Muhammadu Buhari-led Federal Government to wade into the crises to save their businesses from extinction.

Speaking on behalf of the bread bakers association in Birnin Kebbi on Sunday, Alhaji Muhammad Nasir Kampala said the price of flour has doubled compared to how they used to buy it.

According to him, “It used to be seven thousand five hundred naira before but it has now doubled; we are aware of the economic downturn but even at that, the increase is ridiculous as we are very much close to shutting down our bread business, he said.

Kampala stated further that flour alone doesn’t bake bread, sugar and other items are required to produce bread. He said even the price of sugar has increased astronomically forcing many to abandon the bakery business which roughly employs nearly two hundred thousand youth including indirect jobs who buy in pieces to hawk in the state.

According to him, few of them who still remain afloat are having to contend with the unstable price of flour as nearly every week the price increase forces them to adjust the price of bread which usually comes with attacks and condemnation from buyers who are unaware of the unstable prices of flour.

Nasir, who is also a bread baker and a flour retailer said that only the federal government can solve their problems, otherwise millions will be out of business which he described as dangerous to a country already being ravaged by banditry and a high level of unemployment.

“I want to use this medium to appeal to flour, sugar and salt regulatory bodies to reduce and stabilise prices to save millions of bakers not only in Kebbi but the country as a whole before bread and other baked consumables go beyond the reach of the poor.

He mentioned power supply as one of the major challenges of bakery business as most times they use generators which is very expensive because the power supply is erratic and sometimes not even there.