Minister of Trade meets flour distribution agents

Khartoum,  (SUNA) – The Minister of Industry and Trade Madani Abbas Madani has affirmed that the government, which came to the existence by the virtue of December Revolution, would not allow more citizen suffering in the queues of bread. Madani said, during his meeting with a number of flour distribution agents on Tuesday at the Employers’ Federation Hall, that the flour distribution chain was still undergoing problems, calling for cooperation for the solution of this problem, pointing to the practical steps taken to address the problem of bread queues. The minister asserted that all the flour monitoring and follow-up chains would complete at the beginning of the next week with the participation of flour agents, calling for the importance of agents cooperation, stressing that they are working to address the issue as a matter of justice and fairness so that no group in the flour distribution chain to be negatively affected by the people belonging to this sector. The Secretary-General of the Steering Council of the Employers Federation Eng. Mojtaba Khalaf-Allah explained that the meeting was held to study and discuss the causes of the bread crisis and the proposals for solutions at the level of the flour distribution agents’ circle to contribute to solving the crisis within the Federation’s efforts through the various committees in the Ministry of Industry and Trade. He stressed the need to tighten control on the distribution chain to prevent smuggling operations, review and determine the agents besides issuing orders to operate the stalled bakeries, confirming the Federation’s support to all efforts to end the crisis. For their part, the flour distribution agents affirmed their complete readiness to contribute effectively to controlling the flour distribution system for bakeries. They also affirmed their willingness to accept all types of supervision, announcing their readiness to contribute to the organization of the distribution process to end the crisis of queues that plagued the citizen a lot, urging the importance of deterrent punishment for all the cases of leakage and smuggling of flour. The flour agents stressed the necessity of increasing the quotas of flour and specifying certain bakeries to sell unsubsidized commercial bread for restaurants, cafeterias and occasions, prompting the minister to address the shortage in the gas and electricity of bakery as well as the cost of transportation.