Bread Issue: Subsidizing Basic Materials Instead Of Hiking Prices

The Provincial Directorate of Trade, which was entrusted with the task of controlling the real price of bread, was ordered by the services of Prime Minister Ahmed Ouyahia to carry out an in-depth study regarding the ins and outs of the so-called “bread issue”.

The head of the National Federation of Bakers, Mr. Youssef Guelfat, told “Echorouk” on Tuesday that the services of the Minister in charge of the trade sector, Mr. Mohamed Benmeradi, and after several contacts with the Union federation’s representatives, ordered the trade directorates of 12  provinces representing the four  corners of the country  to strictly abide by the real price of bread,  in consistence with the new prices of the various basic materials used in the baking industry, in close coordination with various professionals and producers.

The source said that the relevant file received by Prime Minister Mr. Ahmed Ouyahia in December 2017, is expected to be sealed as early as possible, in a bid to avert what happened in five provinces last month, when numerous bakers decided, on their own, to hike the price of bread up to 15 dinars, sparking off an uproar on the part of citizens.

After the conclusion of a study conducted by the Ministries of Trade and Industry, the latter  decided that the real price of the bread would be set at 12 dinars, and that producers and manufacturers  are called upon to duly subsidize the basic materials for the benefit of bakers, on the basis of the said price, in order to ensure a comfortable profit margin instead of asking for higher prices and thereby  steeping into confrontations with  the relevant authorities as it recently occurred in several provinces of the country.