The director of the National Institute for Consumer Protection (INADEC) in Benguela, Manuel Furtado, recently denounced to the press the existence of citizens who hoard wheat flour with the aim of increasing the price of bread on the market. The person responsible suggests more supervision by the competent authorities, so that the consumer does not continue to be harmed by this type of practice
Manuel Furtado regrets the fact that a large number of bakers, especially foreign citizens, are violating the law, which, in recent times, has been reflected in the size of the bread.
In other words, according to the person responsible, some bakeries are disrespecting established standards for the grams that a loaf of bread must have, which is why institutions such as ANIESA and SIC are being called to account. “Given the scarcity of flour, the industrial baker is making bread in a size of his choice, no longer obeying the standards that dictate the grams that bread must be before, during and after production”, he detailed.
The director of INADEC said that the shortage of wheat flour is not only linked to import factors, but also to maneuvers engineered by some traders with the aim of making the final product, in this case, bread, more expensive, as the consumer always ends up harmed.
“The flour may belong to one, but it is around ten”, he said, arguing that, currently, the province of Benguela is faced with the phenomenon of flour hoarding, aiming to create shortages in the market. “The flour shortage is not only linked to import problems, it is also created on purpose.
We, as authorities, are going to look at flour as a problem that really exists at the country level, but we also have to do some homework, which is to look for those people who harm consumers’ rights”, he stressed, having , because of this, it was suggested that something be done, as we are faced with a State problem.
BY: Constantino Eduardo, in Benguela