Bakers Appeals To Pres. Buhari to grant import waiver

The Association of Master Bakers and Caterers of Nigeria (AMBCN) has appealed to President Muhammadu Buhari to grant import waiver to importers of baking materials to reduce the high cost of bread inputs.

The group lamented that many of its members have since closed their shops as a result of high cost of materials used in the production of bread. The bakers threatened to shut down all their bakery if the government failed to intervene in the foreign exchange problem.

Its outgoing National President, Chief Bayo Folarin who spoke to reporters in Ibadan, Oyo State capital, lamented that the foreign exchange problem has affected its members.

“Master bakers in Nigeria are in serious problem with the exchange rate because 95 per cent of the materials we use for the production of bread are imported. Sugar, salt, flour, margarine, edible oil, yeast, among others are imported, except fire wood which could also be scarce too.

“Between December/January, we were buying a 50 kilogramme of flour at between N6,500 and N7000, but now it costs N10,500; sugar that used to sell for N6,500 now sells for N15,000, yeast used to cost N11,000 but now it is N16,000. The foreign exchange challenge has affected all these materials. The incessant price increase of these items is unbearable again and we cannot continue baking with this,” Folarin said.

He said if urgent steps were not taken in the next few weeks to address the situation bread, may be off the market soon.

Folarin said: ”Bread is a staple food for every home and I wonder what will happen if over 900,000 bakers in this country stop bread production. There will be hunger and unemployment rate too will increase.