Nigeria: The rising cost of ingredients and other means of production of bakery products, bakes in Cross River State decided to raise the cost of bread and reduce production.
A Master Baker, Thomas Odey, revealed this in an interview in Calabar on Monday, July 25.
As per Odey, the Cross River master bakers didn’t join the national body in their strike of two weeks but resolved to raise the price and lessen the quantity of production to control wastage.
The Director of Canaan Delight Bakery Nigeria ltd stressed that taking part in the strike would not be a good decision for the system as a lot of average Nigerians would suffer as bread is a staple commodity in the nation.
He stated that the intended increment is not even enough as the cost of every means of production has risen from condiments to diesel and several other raw materials.
This is a worldwide problem which is not bizarre to Nigeria or materials for just baking, but the cost of every foodstuff has risen significantly.
Odey further exemplified that the usage of cassava, as well as potato flour, was an option. Still, the challenge was that the particular species of cassava required for good flour production was insufficient in Nigeria.
He explained that in his training with Flour Mill, he found that they mixed cassava flour with wheat to get what they used, but the type of cassava they used was a specie they required to make in large quantities.
Potato flour is also good and can be mixed with wheat flour, but the problem is that it is not enough in the nation for industrial purposes and is a seasonal crop.
Nigeria must channel its resources along with its mindset in developing agriculture and stop paying lip service because if they are required to depend on the importation of foreign raw materials to recover our few industries, then it will not help us, he stated.
