The Association of Master Bakers and Caterers of Nigeria (AMBCON) Tuesday threatened to withdraw its service nationwide from February 27, 2024.
The association said it would not hesitate to carry out the threat should the federal government refuse to implement the agreement it entered into with the association in 2020.
While calling for the immediate implementation of financial support palliatives for bakers as promised by the federal government as post COVID-19 support programmes for Small and Medium Enterprises for bakers who have lost over 40 per cent of their membership and still counting, it called for the suspension of all forms of taxation on the bakery industry.
The national president of AMBCON, Alhaji Mansur Umar, was read by the Kogi state chairman of the association, Chief Gabriel Adeniyi.
He said the decision to withdraw its services was due to the “multifarious increase in the prices of baking materials such as flour, sugar, yeast, vegetable oil, petrol, diesel all occasioned by subsidy removal and forex deregulation.
“Multiple taxations from several federal, state, local government agencies fees and levies, hike in business activities in Nigeria are also some of the reasons for the impending strike action.
“The Association of Master Bakers and Caterers of Nigeria have critically accessed the state of our business operation, consequently demand the liberalisation of flour and sugar importation, reduction or total removal of import duties on major baking materials such as flour, sugar, butter, yeast etc as applicable to other commodities as have recently been done by the federal government and Provision of concessionary forex exchange to flour millers and other stakeholders as well as reduction of tariff on imported wheat and sugar.”
