Kaduna, Katsina, Kano experience scarcity of bread

An acute shortage of one of Nigerians’ most popular staple foods, bread, has affected Kaduna, Katsina, and Kano states.

Checks revealed that the commodity was very hard to come by as its prices have skyrocketed.

Many of the residents could no longer afford the staple and, as such, had turned to other less inexpensive alternatives like noodles, millet porridge, and bean cake, as well as bread and beans, among others.

The prices of the commodity have also been increased by between 20 to 40 per cent.

Many shop owners and consumers have strongly expressed their discontent with the unwelcome development, appealing for urgent action to address the concerning trend.

One of the bakers, who spoke in Kaduna, said “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, has regrettably skyrocketed to between N67, 000 to N70, 000.

“How can we produce bread and also break even under this precarious situation?”

In Kaduna State, both bread sellers and consumers expressed dissatisfaction over the shortage of bread in the state capital, noting its adverse impact on their livelihoods and daily routines.

According to Haidar Basiru, a vendor of tea and bread, he typically purchases 100 loaves of bread, but due to the current scarcity, he could only acquire 30 loaves, all of which have already been 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, “he said.

Similarly, Mrs Kafayat Sadiq, a provisions seller, stated that she couldn’t get bread to stock in her shop since Tuesday, saying that her supplier had complained of the high cost of flour.

A resident, Abdullahi Muhammad, said, “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.

”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 also corroborated the scenarios in Kaduna and Katsina states, saying, “A loaf of bread formerly selling for N600 before now goes for N800.”