TheCable

More than 40 bakeries in the federal capital territory (FCT) have shut down activities.

In an interview with NAN, business owners attributed the closure to a high cost of production, multiple taxations by government agencies, increase in electricity tariffs, among others.

According to NAN, some of the bakeries are Abumme Bakery Ltd, Lugbe, Airport Road; Hamdala Bakery, Kuje; Harmony Bite Bakery; Karu and Doweey Delight Bakery Ltd, Kubwa.

Others include Merit Bakery, Mpape; Funez Bakery, Orozo; Slyz Bakery, Wuse Zone 2, among others.

Ishaq Abdulraheem, chairman, Association of Master Bakers and Caterers of Nigeria (AMBCN), Abuja chapter, said that it is becoming increasingly disturbing that bakeries in Abuja could no longer cope with the high cost of production.

Abdulraheem said that most members had lost their means of livelihood, while workers had been out of jobs due to the shutdown.

He called on the federal government to quickly intervene and check agencies allegedly frustrating the bakery business.

He said some of the agencies include the National Food Drug Administration and Control (NAFDAC), Standard Organisation of Nigeria (SON), National Environmental Standards and Regulations, Enforcement Agency (NESREA).

The AMBCN chairman also claimed that the six area councils in FCT have made business unpleasant for bakeries due to huge taxes and tenement rates.

Also speaking, Nuhu Musa, a baker in Abuja, appealed to the government to regulate the activities of its agencies to reduce the different taxes imposed on bakers.

Musa said many bakeries were struggling to survive due to the high cost of production.

“We want the government to regulate these agencies so that our production process will be easy,” Musa said.

“These taxes are impacting our business to the extent that many of us have closed down.

“This is also affecting employment as many bakery workers are out of work presently and you know the effect of that on the society; some will turn to criminality.”

According to Musa, NAFDAC visits their bakeries to check for certificates, while SON comes for the registration of the product.

“How much are we making to warrant all these checks and payments?” he asked.

Meanwhile, some Abuja residents who spoke with NAN decried the high cost of bread in the market, saying that bread was gradually becoming the food for the rich.

Julius Anthony, a resident, said the different types of bread he usually bought for N500 per loaf now cost as much as N1,000.

Aisha Danjuma, another resident, called on the government to immediately intervene over the high cost of bread.

TheCable had reported that bakeries threatened to embark on a two-week nationwide strike over hikes in the price of bakery materials, neglect of the federal government, and fleecing by regulatory agencies.