Some facts about price of bread

THE EDITOR: I would like to address the public of Trinidad and Tobago and especially the “Honourable” Minister of Consumer Affairs Camille Robinson-Regis regarding her statement on the price of bread. I am an independent bakery operator and I am stunned by your wish to see the prices of bread reduced.

In your capacity as minister who obviously has a voice when the prices of bread go up, you must be aware of the changes in the prices of flour, but for the general public let me enlighten you. From February 2002 to date the following are prices bakers had to pay for white flour $102 / $106 / $109 / $133.44 and finally $119 per 45kg bag and for whole wheat flour for the same period $121.75 / $126. / $132 / $161.26 and finally $134 that is a total of five changes in price over that period. This shows firstly that no one in government or the NFM has any idea about flour futures and secondly that you are only concerned about the price you have to pay and not what it costs the baker to produce.

Bread is a staple commodity, especially for the poor. Yet when I import ingredients for my products I have to pay duty and VAT on those items resulting in an increase in the cost by $1.45 per pound. Why is there duty and VAT on these items? Next, you base your statement on the fact that the price of one ingredient of bread has been partially reduced. What about the other items? Sugar, salt, shortening, conditioners and preservatives, milk, cheese and butter, raisins, currants and coconuts. The prices of all these items have increased over a period of time. What about salaries and rents? I have an outlet in a government building and I was just hit with a rental increase of 20 percent. I remember the first thing you ministers did after getting elected was to accept a hefty salary hike. Don’t you believe that bakery workers should be entitled to salary increases as well? Yet you take aim at the one honest industry, the one that still charges cents per item and pick on it.

I was abroad for a period of time and when I returned I went into a car dealership and enquired about a car similar to the last one I had abroad and was told the price was $272,000. Abroad that same vehicle costs $29,000 Canadian or approximately $131,800TT. Why so much of a difference and who gets that difference? I have not heard you asking for the prices of cars to be reduced. I have not heard you asking for the prices of shoes and other clothing articles to be reduced. So why bread? What about soft drinks (completely automated industry). One major producer just hiked its prices? What about bottled water, their prices range from $2 to $4.50 and up for the same amount of water. Why such a range of prices? Does this government have something against agriculture and food?

I ask the question this way because of the government’s recent move on the farmers of St Joseph and now your attack on the bakers. If you are genuinely interested in lowering the prices of bread, then do something about it and not just offer lip service so as to impress the people who do not know any better. However, I would prefer that you work on reducing the prices of all the high priced items so that all the bakers can ask a fair price for their wares and maybe get a little of the monies people will be saving on reduced cars and clothing to share among their underpaid workers.

RICHARD DEANE
Diego Martin