‘Hike in price of bread imminent’

Chief Simeon Abanulor, the National Chairman, Association of Master Bakers and Caterers of Nigeria, said there would be a hike in the price of bread ``to enable bakers to remain in business.” Abanulor said this at a news conference in Umuahia. He said that the cost of raw materials, such as flour and sugar had skyrocketed and that bakers in the country had been operating at a loss.

He added that ``we are helpless because the prices of raw materials ranging from flour to sugar, wheat and butter, have gone up.

``For us to remain in business, we will have to increase the price of bread.’’

The chairman explained that the association at a meeting with flour producers appealed to them to review the price of flour downward.

“However, they told us that there is nothing they can do because the Federal Government is not giving them foreign exchange and that they source it by themselves at the parallel market.

“They maintained that they cannot sell below their cost price,’’ he said.

Abanulor also explained why it had been difficult for bakers to produce bread with cassava flour.

According to him, the Federal Government is yet to provide bakers with an improver called Enzyme that will enhance the cassava flour.

He said ``you cannot bake cassava bread without an improver, it will not work.

“Our challenge is that we reached an agreement with the Federal Government to give us an improver. There are lots of potentials in cassava flour but the problem is that government cannot provide us with improver.’’ (NAN)