Local bread bakers protest in Kano over ‘high cost of flour’

Local bread bakers protest in Kano over 'high cost of flour'

Local bread bakers protest in Kano over ‘high cost of flour’

…Says hike threatening to force them out of business

Local bread bakers, popularly known as Gurasa on Friday staged a peaceful protest in the ancient city of Kano, over hike in prices of flour which they say is threatening to force them out of business.

The bakers said they buy a bag of flour N10,000 in the past but now sold for N41,000 and which they can’t afford.

Leading the protest, the Chairperson of the association, Fatima Awwal called on the Federal Government to as a matter of urgency look into the incessant increment of prices of the commodity as failure would send them out of business.

In her words: “We are out here on the streets protesting to let the leaders know the economic hardship which we are facing at the moment.

“This is our small scale business facing deterioration due to rise in price of flour, it is a business for the poor that the rich cannot dare venture into.

“We are in a very difficult situation, we need help. This is a small-scale industry mostly run by women.

“Many have lost their capital. It is such that only 25 percent of us are now remaining in the business as many others have closed down due to lack of capital.

“We used to buy a bag of floor at the rate of N16,000 in the past but now it sells for N43,000. This is absurd. What we produce is a common food for the poor and is now becoming unaffordable. Any time we go to buy four we get an increase of N1,500 to N2,000.