February 02, (THEWILL) – Makers of Gurasa, a locally baked bread, in Kano, have on Friday, staged a peaceful demonstration, protesting the current hike in prices of flour in the country.
Gurasa is a staple foodstuff that is massively consumed in Kano, second only to Tuwo, rice and beans.
The protesters rallied at Jakara, in Dala Local Government Area in Kano metropolis, carrying placards, which among others things, read: “We are tired of high prices of flour; We are running out of capital, and “Save us from high cost of flour, else we will stop production.”
Addressing newsmen on behalf of the bakers, Hajiya Fatima Auwal decried what she called, “the soaring prices of flour in the market.
“The prices of our preferred brands of flour keep rising everyday to the point that we are running out of capital, and as such, we are seriously considering stopping production, unless something is done urgently to arrest the ugly trend.
“As we speak, we are producing at a loss and, therefore, unable to meet our daily needs including feeding, payment of rent and settling of our children’s school fees”, Auwal, who is the Chairperson of Kano State Gurasa Makers Association, said.
She said that “unlike before when they were buying the commodity at N16,000 per bag, the item now sells at N43,000 per bag and this is unacceptable to us.”
She warned of the consequences of the bakers stopping production, saying that hundreds of people would be sent out of job, as a result and many households that consume the products as their daily meals would not find it funny.
“We are therefore calling on the Federal Government, the flour companies and any other relevant stakeholders to take steps to reduce the prices of the commodity to enable us to continue to produce for our customers”, Auwal pleaded.
About the Author
Abdullahi Yusuf is a seasoned journalist, communicator and was previously the Deputy Editor-In-Chief and Zonal Manager, News Agency of Nigeria, NAN, Jos, where he retired on December 15, 2021
