JUST IN: Scarcity looms as bread makers shut operations nationwide

Premium Breadmakers Association of Nigeria (PBAN), comprising owners, Managing Directors and Partners of premium bakeries in Nigeria, have declared four-day warning strike beginning from Thursday to protest rising prices of baking materials.

They said that prohibitive cost of baking inputs, fuel as well as sundry taxes and levies have made it impossible to operate bakeries at a profit.

In a statement issued on Wednesday, President of the association, Emmanuel Onuorah and Public and Industrial Relations Officer, Babalola Thomas, also demanded that the Federal Government to stop charging 15 percent Wheat development levy on wheat import against.the backdrop of global rise in wheat and other food prices due to the war in Ukraine.

In addition, they requested NAFDAC to review downwards the N154,000 penalty charged bakeries on late renewal of certificates.

PBAN also called on the government to grant members access to grants and soft loans being given by the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) to Minor, Small and Medium Scale Enterprises (MSMEs).

The association also called for the stoppage of multi-agencies regulation of the breadmaking industry.

It said, “Operating a bakery in Nigeria has become near impossible as the incessant increase in the prices of baking materials and diesel rendered the industry comatose. Bakeries are mostly running on huge losses and this is no longer sustainable.

“Bread is a staple food and one of the cheapest ‘grab and go’ food that is available for both the poor and rich. It therefore behooves on the federal government to be mindful of this and ensure the survival and sustainability of the industry.

“In a move to ensure the survival of the Premium breadmaking industry in Nigeria, we have decided to embark on a withdrawal of services beginning from Thursday 21st July, 2022 for four days in the first instance and where no intervention from the government, we shall escalate the duration of the withdrawal.

“Our efforts to ensure the survival of the industry led to series of meetings with the Federal Ministry of Industry, Trade and Investment, Abuja (FMITI) with our sister association in the breadmaking industry in 2021. Our best attempts to ensure that suggestions we put forward for survival of the breadmaking industry has not yielded the desired result.

“Therefore, the withdrawal of service is the only way we believe we can use to get to Federal Government and Nigerians and let them know our plight and how difficult it has been with the breadmaking industry in Nigeria.”