It is a tale of misery as Kaduna, Katsina, and Kano States are experiencing a severe shortage of bread, one of Nigerians’ most beloved staple foods. According to checks conducted by the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) Correspondents, the most popular staple was becoming as hard to find as gold or petrol, two extremely valuable precious metals.
While the material was extremely rare, it was noted that its prices had skyrocketed. Because many of the locals could no longer buy their beloved cuisine, they resorted to other somewhat affordable options including bread, beans, noodles, and millet porridge. Additionally, there has been a 20–40% increase in the commodity’s prices.
Numerous store owners and customers have strongly expressed their displeasure with this unpleasant trend and have called for immediate action to reverse it. Not that we are on strike, but we have had to halt manufacturing since July 1st, 2024, one of the bakers told NAN in Kaduna. The paucity of wheat flour and its high cost, along with the addition of sugar, oil, and other additives, led to this regrettable development.
For example, we were paying between N53,000 and N55,000 for a 50kg bag of flour in June, but the price has now unfortunately increased to between N67,000 and N70,000. “In this precarious situation, how can we produce bread and also break even?” he said in an anonymous interview with NAN.
Some Kaduna State residents and bread vendors bemoaned the lack of bread in the state capital, claiming that it had an impact on their everyday lives and businesses. Bread and tea vendor Haidar Basiru said he often purchases 100 loaves of bread, but because of the continuous shortage, he was only able to obtain 30 loaves, which had already run out.
The bakers claim that the increase in flour and sugar is the reason behind their strike. Given that we typically run our enterprises in the mornings and evenings, this change has had a significant impact on them. However, judging by the state of affairs, the lack of bread may prevent us from leaving in the evening. “To be honest, not many of my colleagues in Kasuwan Barci who work along this axis have opened today,” he remarked.
In a similar vein, Mrs. Kafayat Sadiq, a vendor of groceries, claimed that since Tuesday, she has been unable to stock her shop with bread. Her supplier had voiced concerns about the exorbitant price of wheat.
“I went to the shop in the morning to buy bread, which would be eaten as breakfast in my house, but unfortunately, I couldn’t get it,” stated Abdullahi Muhammad, a bread consumer. Since there is no bread, I had to get spaghetti so the kids could eat and go to school; “I hope the problem gets resolved soon.” According to Aliyu Idris, a resident of Funtua, Funtua Local Government Area, Katsina State, bread costs have increased as well.
For example, a loaf of bread that used to sell for about N 200 now costs N 400, the speaker remarked. This has an impact on every bread size. Idris added that it was now exceedingly difficult for shop owners and tea vendors to get the product in front of customers for sale.
A Kano resident who said, “A loaf of bread that used to sell for N600 now goes for N800,” confirmed the sad circumstances in Kaduna and Katsina States. Additionally, Haruna Salisu told NAN that a loaf of sliced bread that was formerly selling for N 1200 is now selling for N 1600. (NAN)
