The price of bread in The Gambia hangs in the balance as the association of bakers temporarily put on hold a recent decision to increase the cost of a loaf nationwide.
The National Bakers Union recently announced an increase in the price of bread from D10 to D13 beginning on Monday, February 17, 2025.
The union said its members are looking to standardise the weights of the two types of local bread sold nationwide with “Senfour” weighing 1.70kg while the heavier “Tapalapa” is set at 1.55kg to accompany the possible increase.
Members of the union told journalists at a press conference that the planned increase was necessitated by challenges with meeting the overhead costs of acquiring the raw materials in relation to the production of bread.
This include the rising cost of flour, which has soared in recent months, leaving bakers struggling to cope with the increase.
The last adjustment to the price of bread was in 2019 when a loaf cost D8.
However following growing concern from consumers about the latest announcement, members of the bakers union appearing on national television on Saturday said they would hold talks with the government about the way forward but urged the public to appreciate the challenging implications of the production costs which have gone prohibitively beyond local producers.
The proposed meeting with government officials will examine measures to protect the interests of both consumers and local bread producers especially during the approaching Muslim holy month of Ramadan when the commodity is usually in high demand.
WN/as/APA