Severe bread shortage in Sudan: bakeries close in Khartoum

18/11/2013 13:40

Khartoum state is facing a severe bread shortage leading to long cues in front of selling points. Many bakeries have closed their doors. People who want to buy bread can only buy for a maximum of SDG3 ($0.52) per customer, says Tayeb Osman of the the Federation of Bakeries in Akhir Lahza newspaper. Other bakers have reduced the size and weight of the loaves.The bakeries receive insufficient flour. The ration of the bakery has been halved. The Saiga flour company acknowledged the crisis since last week after the dollar rate went up.Manager Mohamed Yousif says: “Either the government subsidises the flour or allows a free market for import and sales of flour”.The largest flour company says that all importing companies together have outstanding debts of US$280 million with the grain companies they buy from. The citizens have begun to complain and demanded Khartoum governor Abdelrahman Khidir intervene.The owner of the Salaam bakery in Jebel Aulia says that people complain, but he can not do anything to help them: “Today we have received only four bags of flour, while normally we receive 15 bags”.File photo

Khartoum state is facing a severe bread shortage leading to long cues in front of selling points. Many bakeries have closed their doors. People who want to buy bread can only buy for a maximum of SDG3 ($0.52) per customer, says Tayeb Osman of the the Federation of Bakeries in Akhir Lahza newspaper. Other bakers have reduced the size and weight of the loaves.

The bakeries receive insufficient flour. The ration of the bakery has been halved. The Saiga flour company acknowledged the crisis since last week after the dollar rate went up.

Manager Mohamed Yousif says: “Either the government subsidises the flour or allows a free market for import and sales of flour”.The largest flour company says that all importing companies together have outstanding debts of US$280 million with the grain companies they buy from. The citizens have begun to complain and demanded Khartoum governor Abdelrahman Khidir intervene.

The owner of the Salaam bakery in Jebel Aulia says that people complain, but he can not do anything to help them: “Today we have received only four bags of flour, while normally we receive 15 bags”.

File photo