Aden: Temporary Solutions Exacerbate the «Roti» Bread Crisis

عربي

Saeed Ahmed (60 years), a resident of Sheikh Othman district in Aden, used to go to the bakery near his house in one of the district’s streets, to buy his needs of “roti” bread and loaf. He was surprised by a group of people lining up in long lines, overshadowed by random crowding, shouting and chaos. A group of women, men, and children preceded him in front of the door of the bakery. But he decided to return to another bakery in the same street, only tens of meters separated from the first. Saeed was astonished to find the second place empty, hardly anyone pass by to buy.

Saeed did not know that the reason for all this crowding was the price difference (20 Yemeni riyals) between the bakeries, which occurred after the support provided by the local authority in the city to some bakeries to reduce the price of the roti from 50 riyals to 30 riyals, after its recent rise as a result of the severe economic crisis that The country is going through and the high exchange rate of hard currencies against the Yemeni riyal.

The price discrepancy between bakeries has caused panic among the people in the city, especially those with low incomes and they are the largest group, as one day cannot pass without eating roti bread, forcing them to go out at once to head towards the subsidized bakery, which is often one of dozens in each district.

Because it can only be bought fresh around the time of dinner, dozens of people rush early to wait by the oven before the first batch comes out, so that the purchase is not missed as soon as the owner of the bakery announces that the day’s batch has finished. Some who could not catch up, to go buy from another place at the new price (50 riyals).

After the capital Aden witnessed a significant increase in the prices of fuel, household gas, flour and other basic ingredients that are used in the making of “roti” bread, the value of its sale doubled during the past two months, after its previous price ranged between 30-35 riyals per piece, to be sold today at a value of 50 riyals.

Specifically last September, after the Ovens and Bakeries Association issued a statement warning of the catastrophic situation experienced by bakeries owners in Aden, and mentioned the owners' intention and their right to carry out a comprehensive strike as a "fair" response to what they are facing, in exchange for the silence of the concerned authorities and their inaction in putting an end to the problem currency and rising fuel prices.

Less than one month later, a statement was issued by the Association acknowledging the increase in the selling price of roti and bread by 10 riyals above the previous price in all city bakeries.

In its statement, the Association attributed the reason to the increase of more than 100% in the materials used in the manufacture of roti and bread, in addition to the high costs facing oven owners, such as the increase in rental prices for shops, fuel, labor wages, and transfer fees.

Housewife Alia Ahmed spoke to "South24" about the impact of the news of the rise in the price of bread in the city: "The news was really heartbreaking, and we all entered a loop of exhausted thinking."

She added, "I am a housewife with six children, and my husband's monthly income does not exceed 70,000 riyals. In the past, we have endured a lot, and I do not know how we will be able to provide our children's livelihood in the coming days with this continuous rise, which is met with shameful silence from the government that is supposed to manage the affairs of people above everything else."

After the city was buzzed with news of raising the prices of bread, the office of the Ministry of Industry and Trade in Aden issued, at the beginning of this November, a decision to support 73 bakeries across the eight districts of Aden based on the directives of Governor Ahmed Lamlas, to be sold at a price of 30 riyals per piece. In return, the local authority will guarantee the difference in the subsidized flour price.

This decision was greeted with great enthusiasm and joy by the citizens of the city, but it did not take long until it seemed like a drug to silence their voices.

Many citizens asserted that “the volume of baked goods sold in some subsidized ovens is clearly tampered with,” and many of them shared pictures on social media of that. South24 was unable to verify the veracity of these allegations.

Ibrahim Thabet, a resident of Khormaksar district, told "South24" that he had refrained from buying his daily roti from those subsidized bakeries.

Ibrahim attributed this to the fact that “what is happening is just clear manipulation of people’s minds,” and he adds: “This is what we are always used to from all decisions that are issued on the basis that they are in our interest, but all of this is just nonsense, clear manipulation and great corruption.”