Millers rescue small-scale bakers with flour supplies

The Grain Millers’ Association of Zimbabwe (GMAZ) has started supplying flour to small-scale bakers throughout the country to avoid artificial shortages of bread and other flour-related products.

BY Staff Reporter

Some consumers had reportedly resorted to panic-buying in anticipation of shortages.

GMAZ chairperson Tafadzwa Musarara (pictured) said national flour supplies remained stable.

“The national wheat and flour stocks remain stable, with major bread and biscuit bakers adequately and constantly replenished. Consequently, the overall national bread supply has exceeded 93%,” he said in a statement.

“Remainder of small-scale bakers supplying Circa 10% of national bread market have had supplies started to be made to them on Monday July 16, 2018. Tentative supplies made as at July 14 are as follows: Blue Ribbon Foods (Harare branch) 180 tonnes, Bulawayo 90 tonnes, Masvingo 60 tonnes, Chinhoyi 60 tonnes, Mutare 60 tonnes and Midlands 90 tonnes.

National Foods (Harare) 3 634 tonnes and Nulenty 200 tonnes.”

The companies would supply flour to bakers in their sphere of influence nationwide.

Musarara also said national wheat milling capacity was going to be significantly increased next month by the opening of a new milling plant by Blue Ribbon Foods.

“The new Blue Ribbon Foods wheat plant with an additional 9 000 metric tonnes per month capacity is expected to commence production on or about August 4, 2018. This will see a 12,3% increase in national installed wheat milling capacity,” he said.

“So what we are saying is that there is no need for panic-buying which we are seeing in some areas because the nation has adequate flour supplies which, starting next month, will be flooding the market and those engaging in such behaviour are just, but wasting their time and money.”