The body of bakers and caterers in Nigeria has announced that it may have no option than to sack workers due to the country’s prevailing recession.

According to CEOAFRICA’s source, Daily trust, The Association of Master Bakers and Caterers of Nigeria, (AMBCON), put the blame for the woes in their business on the federal government through the federal ministry of agriculture by reviewing government policies on the provision of flour, wheat and sugar, which are key ingredients in bread and confectioneries production.

The concern was contained in a statement jointly signed by the AMBCON National Chairman, Sir Simon Abanulo and the National Secretary, Mr. Mansur Umar.
According to the statement, the association has resolved to lay-off workers within the business capacity of each member. As such, small scale bakeries will sack 10 workers, medium scale bakeries, 30 and large scale bakeries, 50 workers.

The statement said the measure was taken in the interest of the survival of the business and it will continue as long as the uncontrollable increases in baking items continue and pending when the federal government decides to address the problems.

It lamented the complacent posture of the federal government in addressing the erstwhile policies on bread and other confectionery products, especially the review of the Cassava Bread Development Fund, which has created a lacuna for the major importers of ingredients to constitute a cartel that keeps increasing the prices of the ingredients.
The body warned that if the trend in the industry was not immediately checked, the 450, 000-member association will go into extinction, noting that AMBCON had lately withdrawn its services thrice and written series of letters to the federal government to drive home its demands.