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The Chief Financial Officer of Pee Cee and Son Holdings Limited, Mohamed Sowe, has explained to members of the Sierra Leone Bakers Association the causes of the lack of bread flour in the country.
The engagement took place in Calaba Town on Monday, April 10, 2023, with leading members of the Bakers’ Union from Falaba, Bombali, Bo, Kenema, Kono, Portloko, Kambia, and the capital, Freetown.
Mohamed Sowe told Bakers that the problem was that their partner importer (Soluca), whose flour ship was booked mainly for Ramadan, experienced some delay in arriving at the port in Guinea due to bad weather from Europe. As for wheat, there were other arrangements made in the past that were also challenging for them.
He said that the ship with flour not only goes to Sierra Leone via Pee Cee and Son, but also to Mali (twice), Guinea and other African countries.
He explained that the amount currently in stock is enough to supply at least 2,000 bags every day – 1000 in Freetown and 1000 in the province.
“We have a week to manage the amount of flour in the warehouse, which is not enough for all of you because we are the only competitor so far to control the flour crisis. Next week Monday, deliveries will be normal, I guarantee you all,” he told Bakers from different parts of the country.
He then suggested selling bread flour directly to Bakers at the maximum price to break the distribution chain, with prices jumping from the wholesaler to the bakers who process the bread directly for consumer and retail purposes.
He also said that they are currently sold at NLee 750 (wholesale) and retail at NLee 800. Other traders have also undertaken to buy flour directly from Guinea and sell it to the country’s bakers at a higher price, which is unacceptable from the point of view of their profits.
However, the Chairman, Imam Chernor Saadu Jalloh as well as other Bakers from different districts expressed their constraints faced over the weeks and months, noting that for the sale of flour, Pee Cee and Son should directly contact their Chairmen because 70% of the AGB flour is bought by the union members.
At the end of the mandate, some members advised the chairman to issue a receipt if they want to buy from Pee Cee and Son to gain recognition from the union and avoid corruption by unknown businessmen who will increase the price exponentially to NLe1, 500; NLe1, 800 etc.
