Abuja communities have begun to lament as a loaf of bread now sells for N650 while other brands of bread sell between N500 and 450 at the Dutse Alhaji, Dawaki, Ushafa, and Kubwa area of Abuja, Nigeria’s capital city.
Residents, who spoke to WAR, however, said this is the most terrible and difficult moment in their lives as they cannot afford a loaf of bread because of its high cost.
Some shop owners who have bread while speaking to WAR said the price of bread has gone up because of its scarcity.
However, some, who do not have bread in their shop said they cannot find it from the producers to buy, attributing the scarcity to strike embarked upon by the bakers association.
WAR had earlier reported how Bread scarcity has hit Kubwa and Dutse Alhaji areas of Abuja in Bwari Area Council, Abuja the Nigerian capital city as bread bakers have embarked on strike and cut supply over the high cost of producing bread.
WAR visits to some shops located at Kubwa and Dutse communities show they have no bread displayed in their shops while consumers were seeing in search of the commodity with no single loaf on sight.
When WAR visited some of the bakeries, they found them to be under lock and key with only security men seen guarding the place.
Chief of operation Nextra bread who did not want his name mentioned, told this newspaper that they embarked on strike because they can no longer afford to produce bread, citing the high cost of flour and other material as the major reason they embarked on strike and cut supply.
Mr. Innocent, while speaking to WAR in one of the bakeries in Kubwa, said many of their colleagues have since closed down because of the high cost of flour which is a major ingredient used in producing bread.
Innocent said they have increased the price of bread by N50 a loaf, but that did not solve the problem as they continue to run at loss.
Mrs. Ada Chika, who is an assistant manager operation in one of the bakeries located around zone 3 area of Dutse Alhaji, told WAR that they cannot keep up with bread production because of the high cost of flour and other materials in the market.
“We have no option than to close down and cut supply, the high cost of producing bread is making all bakery owners run at loss, we need government intervention if we must continue production,” Chika said.
Residents who spoke to WAR appealed to the government to find a way of supporting bakers, pointing out that their cut in the supply of bread is adversely affecting their homes as they depend on bread to supplement their meal.
Credit: West Africa Reporters