From Desmond Mgboh, Kano
Kano State Chapter of the Association of Master Bakers and Caterers of Nigeria has threatened to shut down their operations in the face of incessant hike in the price of flour and other ingredients used in making the bread.
Speaking to journalists in Kano, the Secretary of the association, Kabiru Hassan Abdullahi said that alternatively, they would be left with no option but to increase the price of bread in order to survive the present hike in the cost of their production.
He pointed out that they have severally sought audience with the managements of the flour companies in the state, but these efforts have been unsuccessful largely due to COVID-19 protocols that discouraged physical meetings.
He wondered why the price of flour, which stood at N9, 000 from late 2019 to early 2020 while the exchange rate was N400, had jumped to over N16,000 despite the fact that the exchange rate was still below N500.
While noting that IRS flour, which was scarce in the market, has remained the most expensive of the flour brands, he appealed to BUA Group of Companies, the manufacturer of IRS flour, to review their price downward and increase their supply to the market to ease the present situation.
The Secretary also disclosed that, after their general meeting on Wednesday, the association had mandated its leadership to meet with the grass root bakers in 10 days time and come up with a unified price increase.
Abdullahi appealed to the state and Federal government to look into the flour milling industry in general, stressing that the sector provides employment opportunities to youths and supports the economy as a source of income to thousands of youths in the state
“In this period of security challenges, allowing our business to collapse is dangerous,” he declared.