Producers of the much sought after food stuff say they intend to draw the attention of the government of President Julius Maada Bio through their indefinite strike action which commenced on Tuesday.
They are unhappy that the price of flour, which they use to bake bread, has increased due to a tax hike.
Besides rice, which is Sierra Leone’s staple, most people in the country consume bread. It is in fact the most popular dish for breakfast in the country.
A representative of the Bakers Association told state broadcaster SLBC on Tuesday that they wanted the government to investigate the Queen Elizabeth ll Quay (Freetown Port) where they believe all the problem emanated from.
The pro-poor civil society pressure group, Native Consortium, has weighed in on the matter, calling for speedy action by the government to resolve it.
The organization in a statement said as a participant at the 2019 budgetary discussion, it noted that there were moves by the ministry of Finance to cut down on certain taxes on flour.
“We expect this tariff cut to have reflected and trickled down on the price of a loaf of bread or the size of the bread, but that was not the case till date. We appreciate the government for this but what happens between the manufacturers and/or importers of flour is what we want government to investigate and bring representatives of the bakers importers/manufacturers to the negotiating table for way out,” it said.
The organization also urged the bakers to be patient with the government and put their case before the authorities.
“If the government failed then they can further their actions, than starving bread addicted consumers especially in urban areas,” it added.