Enugu people are outraged by the bakers’ warning strike and the increase in bread prices.
The citizens of Enugu metropolis have condemned the bread makers’ four-day warning strike, claiming that the commodity’s present pricing has grown expensive.
Some people who spoke to the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) in Enugu on Sunday said the warning strike had hurt many bread buyers since it caused the commodity’s price to rise even more.
According to some bread dealers, the price of bread has risen by 30% as a result of the Bakers Association of Nigeria’s strike.
Mr Samson Igwe, a bread merchant, stated that the price of bread will rise further across the state following the warning strike due to the high cost of raw ingredients needed in manufacturing bread.
Despite the price rise, Igwe believes his clients would continue to patronize him because many people consume bread on a regular basis.
“My clients will merely buy fewer loaves but will find it impossible to stop eating bread every day,” he claimed.
Another bread merchant, who requested anonymity, stated that the price hike will disrupt food habits in many houses.
Many families, he claims, rely on bread for breakfast and as a snack in between meals.
“With another rise in the price of bread, many families will have difficulty feeding themselves, since many have cut the number of loaves of bread they buy from me since price increases,” he stated.
Mrs Nancy Okwuchi, an Achara Layout resident, stated that the strike will raise prices even higher, increasing the cost of food in many households.
“When there is no food in the house, I make tea with bread for my kids to drink while I cook.”
“However, when the price of bread continues to rise, it would be impossible to feed the children as normal,” Okwuchi remarked.
Mr Arthur Ude, a father of four, said bread remained a vital item, and he urged people in charge to protect the survival of bakeries in the country.
According to NAN, the price of loaves of bread had risen by 30% prior to the warning strike declaration, with bread sold for N300 now costing N400 and bread sold for N100 now costs N150.
The grounds for the strike were an unending rise in baking material prices and the need to persuade the Federal Government to stop imposing a 15% Wheat Development Levy on wheat imports.
Others include the need for NAFDAC to reduce the N154,000 penalty levied to bakers for late certificate renewal.
They also want members to have access to grants and soft loans offered by the Central Bank of Nigeria to Micro, Small, and Medium Scale Enterprises (MSMEs).