Since yesterday, Wednesday 16 March, the price of Beninese bread has increased. Formerly sold at 125f, the price of bread has risen to 150f in recent days in the Atlantic, Littoral, Ouémé and Plateau departments. This situation highlights the impacts of the Russian-Ukrainian conflict on the African continent.
The price of baguette has been rising in some places in Benin since Wednesday 16 March 2022. It was at the end of an extraordinary general meeting held on Tuesday 15 March 2022 In Cotonou, the Association of bakery promoters and operators of the Atlantic and Littoral departments (APEB /Atl-Lit)and that of the Ouémé and Plateau departments (APEBDOP)announced the news. This was done through a service note N°2022/001/APEB/Atl-Lit/APEBDOP/SG of 15 March 2022.
What of the decision
“The increase in the price of bread is linked to the rise in the price of wheat flour. A bag of flour that used to cost 18,000f is now around 30,000f. Without forgetting that the price of yeast has also soared,” said Bertin Bokossa, one of the managers at the Saint Bernard bakery in Godomey. Thus, the price of wheat flour, the main component of bread, has risen sharply in recent days on the international level.
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Faced with this high price, one is tempted to point the finger at the conflict between Russia and Ukraine, knowing that Russia is a world producer of wheat. As a result, wheat flour is expensive in African countries. And with the reforms undertaken in Benin, which have led to an increase in taxes, the crisis is far from over. Wheat flour is already expensive and when it is taxed here, it becomes twice as expensive,” says Mr Bokossa.
A reluctant clientele
Will bread, the staple food of many Beninese, not be neglected for a while? Indeed, many consumers are revolting against the increase in the price of this widely consumed food. “It’s asphyxiating,” said a buyer at the Saint Bernard bakery in Godomey. Another lady I met at the scene preferred to take a kilogram of rice for her children instead of taking them two baguettes of bread at 300f. As a result, there is undoubtedly a reluctance on the part of the players in the field, which is already having an impact on daily turnover.
Executive decision expected
As you can imagine, the increase in the price of bread in Benin can cause a lot of inconvenience. This is why Mr. Bokossa invites the government to help them out of the crisis: “We have taken a provisional measure just to stand up to the burden. But it is up to the government to propose relief measures and to help us reorganise the sector. Clearly, if nothing is done, all other wheat-based foods will increase.
