Call to subsidise flour and secure diesel and electricity before imposing a binding bakery price
LIBYA – Faraj Abuqrin, director of relations at the Libyan Consumer Rights Protection Organisation, said the rise in the price of a loaf of bread at a number of bakeries stems from higher production costs, chiefly flour and fuel prices, alongside power cuts and exchange-rate volatility.
Addressing the Roots of the Crisis
In remarks exclusively to the Libyan News Agency (WAL), Abuqrin said demanding that bakery owners charge a set price without providing production inputs at suitable prices does not amount to a real solution to the crisis, stressing that higher flour and diesel prices and operating costs have been reflected in both the price and the size of the loaf.
He said any remedy must begin by cutting flour prices or subsidising flour, supplying diesel to bakeries, and addressing the electricity crisis, before the competent authorities set an appropriate price and bind bakeries to it.
Monitoring Supplies and Curbing Speculation
Abuqrin called on the authorities to intervene urgently to address the flour crisis, follow up mills, suppliers and supply and distribution mechanisms, and ensure flour reaches bakeries at a suitable price, while confronting speculation and black-market sales.
He noted that the Municipal Guard monitors bakery hygiene and the quality and weight of bread, but that shortages of staff and material resources limit its ability to carry out its duties, calling for tighter oversight after production costs have been addressed.
Citizens Hit Hardest
Abuqrin stressed that shrinking the loaf while raising its price does not solve the crisis, saying citizens remain the party hit hardest, especially given Libyan households’ reliance on bread as a basic food staple.
He said regulating the flour market and securing fuel and electricity for bakeries is the first step toward stabilising the loaf price, allowing non-compliant bakeries to be held to account once the necessary production conditions are in place.
