Master Bakers Association announces suspension of services effective Feb. 27

The Association of Master Bakers has announced plans to suspend its services nationwide as of February 27.

The action is in protest against the challenging business conditions in the nation, specifically citing issues related to excessive taxation and the escalating expenses of baking materials.

The decision followed a careful consideration of the “multifarious increase in the prices of baking materials such as flour, sugar, yeast, vegetable oil, petrol, and diesel occasioned by the fuel subsidy removal and forex deregulation,” according to the Kogi State Chairman of the association, Chief Gabriel Adeniyi.

He spoke on behalf of the National President, Alhaji Mansur Umar.

The union alleged that multiple government agencies, such as the National Agency for Food and Drug Administration and Control, the Standards Organisation of Nigeria, the National Environmental Standards and Regulations Enforcement Agency, the Consumers Protection Council, the Department of Weights and Measures, and others, have imposed numerous charges on its members.

“The Association of Master Bakers and Caterers of Nigeria has critically assessed the state of our business operation and consequently demands the liberalization of flour and sugar importation and the reduction or total removal of import duties on major baking materials such as flour, sugar, butter, yeast, etc. as applicable to other commodities, as has recently been done by the Federal Government.

“Also the provision of concessionary forex exchange to flour millers and other stakeholders, as well as a reduction of tariffs on imported wheat and sugar,” the bakers said.

The resolution urged strongly for the cultivation and processing of wheat and sugarcane in Nigeria, as well as the repeal of numerous taxes at the federal, state, and local levels.

The association also called for prompt execution of financial assistance measures for bakers as part of post-COVID-19 assistance initiatives for small and medium-sized enterprises in the baking industry, especially for those who have experienced a decline of more than 40% in their membership.