BY TAFADZWA MHLANGA
Zimbabwe’s bread price has shot up 61% to $15 after days of shortages, piling more misery on a citizenry already bearing the brunt of poor earnings.
This comes after the bread price had been continuously going up since last year due to shortage of wheat and foreign currency.
NewsDay yesterday visited Bakers Inn shops and witnessed bread retailing at $15 per loaf up from $9 previously. This was after bakers had initially informed trading partners that the new bread price was now pegged at $14 per loaf.
National Bakers Association of Zimbabwe (NBAZ) president Denis Wala said bread price increases were stemming from the rise of cost of production due to fuel prices and power cuts, forcing bakers to rely on costly generators as alternative power sources.
“The prices have been going up due to costs of operations as the bakers are now using generators to operate. The power cuts we are experiencing in the country have forced the bakers to rely on generators,” Wala said.
He added that the country has been facing bread shortages due to the scarcity of the subsidised bread flour they were using for the past few months, while the locally available flour was very expensive for bakers to purchase.
“There has been a shortage of bread in the country because the subsidised flour for bread that we have been using lately is no longer available and it is now difficult for the bakers to bake. There is, however, flour that is there which is a bit more expensive for the bakers to purchase, that is why there is no bread in the country,” he said.
Bread prices have since last year risen 1 600% from $0,90 a loaf to the current $15.
