Zimbabwe News

Bad News! Flour shortages force bread makers produce less

Bread makers in Zimbabwe have reduced their working period to just four days a week following recurrent flour shortages and other ingredients needed to produce the necessity.

National Bakers Association of Zimbabwe (NBAZ) president, Ngoni Mazango confirmed the development within the sector.

“I can confirm that we are not getting enough flour from the suppliers and as a result, most bakers can no longer sustain production for all the seven days of the week.

“Apart from this, the sector remains constrained due to the continued pricing structures which can no longer match the production costs that continue to go up,” he said.

Grain Millers Association of Zimbabwe public relations manager, Garikai Chaunza however said that the country had enough flour to meet the usual demand from local bakers.

“At the moment, we have enough local wheat which requires to be mixed with imported wheat in order to make good quality bread.

“So as acknowledged before, the country is struggling to raise enough foreign currency to import flour but what we have so far is enough for the market,” he said.

Chaunza also said that bakers were still getting flour at the usual price of $39.50 per 50kg adding that the increase in bakers’ production costs has nothing to do with the cost of flour.

The country’s baking sector has been struggling to remain viable due to acute shortages of foreign currency to sustain operational requirements among players.

Zimbabwean bakers have been calling for an increase in bread prices but this has continuously been blocked by government.

Meanwhile, Food Federation and Allied Workers Union of Zimbabwe (FFAWUZ) official, Jokoniah Mawopa said that the situation prevailing in the sector was desperate.

Mawopa said that several workers faced the risk of losing their incomes or jobs if measures were not taken in time to remedy the crisis.

Source: MbareTimescom