By Hou Akot Hou
Bakers in Aweil town of Northern Bahr el Ghazal state, South Sudan, have been told to increase the size of loaf of bread or be forced to shut down business.
The ultimatum to the bread makers came following a meeting that was held between the traders and the Aweil town municipal council authorities last week.
Mr. Dut Mou the town mayor of Aweil town said on Friday that they sat in a meeting with the traders including the bakers to increase the size of bread as prices of foodstuffs have a bit reduced including that of wheat flour.
The town mayor argued that a bag of flour and other items such as sugar have somewhat dropped.
“You can’t just pass your own judgment on the food prices and increase it automatically” he echoed.
“We regulate them as authorities in the council here as we have recently been closely monitoring the prices during the hunger gap. We allowed you to maintain your own prices but not is no more” he continued.
Mou added that they have resolved with bakers to shutdown bakeries who refuse to increase the size of their bread adding they will have to dance to the music.
One of the residents, Ms. Abuk Deng Garang who have heard about the development on the increase in the size of bread lauded the council authorities for doing the right thing.
“This is tough decision ever coming from the authorities which we like,” said Abuk.
“We have been suffering in the hand of these bakers. She added.
According to her the bakers have been decreasing the size of the bread, and they (consumers) keep telling them (bakers) that some of them have huge family who can’t afford to survive with little bread.
Commodities in the market have been skyrocketing due to economic inflation, and it will be seen how the resolutions from the recently concluded 1st National Economic Conference will help citizens cope with the crisis across the country.