Residents of Kaduna, Katsina, and Kano states are facing an acute scarcity of bread, a staple food in Nigeria according to Vanguard news report.
The price of bread has skyrocketed, making it hard for many people to afford it.
Due to the high prices, residents have turned to alternatives like noodles, millet porridge, bean cake, and bread with beans. The price of bread has increased by 20 to 40 percent.
Many shop owners and consumers are upset about the situation and are calling for urgent action to fix the problem.
A baker in Kaduna explained, “It is not that we are on strike, but we have had to stop production since 1st July 2024. This unfortunate development was necessitated by the scarcity of wheat flour and its high cost, as well as sugar, oil, and other additives. For instance, in June, we were buying a 50kg bag of flour for between N53,000 to N55,000, which has regrettably skyrocketed to between N67,000 to N70,000. How can we produce bread and also break even under this precarious situation?”
Tea and bread seller, Haidar Basiru, said, “I usually buy 100 loaves of bread, but due to the ongoing scarcity, I was able to get only 30 loaves, which have already sold out. The bakeries are saying they are on strike due to a hike in flour and sugar. This development has seriously affected our businesses as we usually operate in the mornings and evenings. But, from the look of things, we may not come out in the evening due to bread shortage. In fact, most of my colleagues operating around this axis in Kasuwan Barci have not opened today.”
Mrs. Kafayat Sadiq, a provisions seller, shared her struggles, “I couldn’t get bread to stock in my shop since Tuesday. My supplier complained about the high cost of flour.”
A resident, Abdullahi Muhammad, said, “I went to the shop in the morning to buy bread for breakfast, but unfortunately, I couldn’t get it. I had to buy spaghetti for the children to eat and go to school since there is no bread. I hope the issue will be alleviated soon.”
In Kano State, a resident reported, “A loaf of bread formerly selling for N600 now goes for N800.”
