Babatunde Gidado, a former Chairman of Master Bakers Association, Kwara State, has disclosed that the country produces only 14 percent of wheat consumed.
He said this during an interview with LEADERSHIP in Ilorin.
Gidado added that production of the commodity in the country has declined by 89.44 percent, a development, he said has inflicted hardship on bread bakers.
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“Nigeria only produces 14 per cent of wheat consumed in the country and our over reliance on foreign flour has brought about high cost of production in the bread making business.
“Local wheat production has fallen by 89.4 percent and this is a matter of concern to bakery operators in Kwara State . We had expected that the government of the day would encourage local production of wheat so as to bring about crash in the prices of flour,” he stated.
He added that the bakers association had advised the government on how it can increase local production of wheat, lamenting that they have gotten positive response from the government.
“You can imagine the multiplier effect it would have on the production cost and prices of bread in the country if the local wheat production is encouraged by the government. The incessant hike in the prices of bread we are witnessing on daily basis won’t have happened.
“We have advised the government that the local wheat production was not enough. We produced 14 per cent of wheat in Nigeria while we promote other country’s economy by relying on their flour. It is high time the government finds a substitute to flour consumption,” Gidado added.
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