The Association of Master Bakers and Caterers of Nigeria (AMBCN) may close shop today, Wednesday, 20th July, nationwide due to what the baker’s complain as hike in prices of bakery materials and government’s insensitivity to their plight.
The baker’s and caterers had, on June 25, 2022, threatened to withdraw their services for the same reasons nationwide, citing which they said has adversely affected their businesses.
The Federal Capital Territory (FCT) Chairman of AMBCN, Ishaq Adbulraheem, said the withdrawal of services is due to rising prices of flour, sugar and other materials used in the bakery business, explaining that the prices have soared beyond the reach of many bakers.
Abdulraheem said the regulatory agencies charge members outrageous levies, complaining that efforts to get the government’s intervention in the matter had been unsuccessful.
The AMBCN chairman said there had been no positive response from the concerned ministries, departments and agencies (MDAs) of government on the lingering issues.
He said: “We are withdrawing our services nationwide. We expect government’s response so that we can review whatever we are doing. The high cost of ingredients, rate at which we are buying diesel – which is N880 per litre in the FCT – and the issue of cassava initiative that the Federal Government started so that we can move forward and save the economy are among the major issues.
“We are the second largest employers of labour in the country. But we are subjected to so many issues, not only the price increase. There is the issue of our regulatory agencies.
“There are issues of duplications in the National Agency for Food and Drug Administration and Control (NAFDAC) and the Standards Organisation of Nigeria (SON) and the rate at which the payment for registration is going up.
“We are paying too much. The registration fee with NAFDAC, which was initially N2,500, increased to N35,00 and now to N100,000.
“There is no ease of doing business. All the fees have tripled with all regulatory agencies. They said we must register with the two agencies. The government should address this so we can move forward.”
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