Bread price hike, scarcity looms as bakers set for nationwide strike

VAM, News Update

THE food crisis in Nigeria may take a turn for the worse as the Association of Master Bakers and Caterers of Nigeria has said it would withdraw its service nationwide from February 27, if the Federal government refused to implement the agreement it entered into with the association in 2020.

The association called for the immediate implementation of financial support palliatives for bakers as promised by the Federal Government as post COVID-19 support programmes for Small and Medium Enterprises for bakers who have lost over 40 per cent of their membership and still counting.

It also called for the suspension of all forms of taxation on the bakery industry for now at the federal, state and local government levels.

This was disclosed in a statement by the National President of AMBCON, Alhaji Mansur Umar, read on his behalf by the Kogi State Chairman of the association, Chief Gabriel Adeniyi, on Tuesday.

AMBCON noted that the decision to withdraw its services was due to the “multifarious increase in the prices of baking materials such as flour, sugar, yeast, vegetable oil, petrol, diesel all occasioned by subsidy removal and forex deregulation.”

“Multiple taxations from several federal, state, local government agencies fees and levies, hike in business activities in Nigeria are also some of the reasons for the impending strike action”, the association said.

The statement read in part:
“The Association of Master Bakers and Caterers of Nigeria have critically accessed the state of our business operation, consequently demand the liberalisation of flour and sugar importation, reduction or total removal of import duties on major baking materials such as flour, sugar, butter, yeast etc as applicable to other commodities as have recently been done by the federal government and Provision of concessionary forex exchange to flour millers and other stakeholders as well as reduction of tariff on imported wheat and sugar.”

Other demands outlined by the association include the development of cultivation and processing of wheat and sugar cane in Nigeria, and the removal of multiple taxations at all government levels.

The association also called for the setting up of a price control and monitoring committee as allowed by the constitution as amended and other conditions that will enhance the ease of doing business in the country.