During a meeting with the Sierra Leone Bakers Association, Mohamed Sowe, the Chief Financial Officer of Pee Cee and Son Holdings Limited, provided an explanation for the shortage of bread flour in the country.
On Monday, April 10, 2023, prominent members of the Bakers’ Union from various districts, including Falaba, Bombali, Bo, Kenema, Kono, PortLoko, Kambia, and Freetown, convened in Calaba Town for a meeting. Mohamed Sowe addressed the bakers, explaining that their partner importer, Soluca, experienced delays due to bad weather from Europe while shipping flour primarily for Ramadan. Additionally, previous arrangements for wheat had also presented challenges for them.
Sowe clarified that the current stock of flour was sufficient to supply at least 2,000 bags every day, split between Freetown and the provinces. However, the amount was inadequate to meet the demands of all bakers, as they were the sole competitor in controlling the flour crisis. He assured them that normal deliveries would resume the following Monday.
To break the distribution chain, Sowe suggested that bakers purchase bread flour directly from them at maximum prices, eliminating the need for wholesalers who hike up prices. He disclosed that their flour supply also caters to other African countries such as Mali, Guinea, and Sierra Leone via Pee Cee and Son.
Sowe further revealed that their flour was currently sold at NLee 750 (wholesale) and NLee 800 (retail). However, other traders purchased flour directly from Guinea and sold it to bakers in the country at a higher price, which was unacceptable from their profit perspective.
During the meeting, the Chairman, Imam Chernor Saadu Jalloh, and other bakers from various districts raised concerns over the constraints they had faced for weeks and months. They advised Pee Cee and Son to contact their respective chairpersons for the sale of flour, as 70% of the AGB flour was bought by union members.
As the meeting concluded, some members advised the chairman to issue receipts for the purchasing from Pee Cee and Son to gain recognition from the union and avoid corruption by unscrupulous businessmen who inflated prices to NLe1,500, NLe1,800, etc.