Sri Lanka crisis: Bakery shelves will empty in next three days, say bakers

All Ceylon Bakery Owners' Association (ACBOA) on Sunday said that bakery products, including bread, will be emptied from the shelves in the next two or three days amid severe food shortages in the country.

ACBOA President NK Jayawardena said that bread might disappear from bakery shelves soon due to the prevalent fuel crisis and the shortage and price increase of all ingredients, reported Daily Mirror.

With the current crisis and precarious economic situation, currently, 50 per cent of the bakery's production has stopped. The remainder too will grind to a halt very soon.

"As the responsible member, I mentioned earlier that the bakery industry is facing a serious threat and would collapse due to the prevalent fuel crisis," said Jayawardena.

The ACBOA President further blamed the government for the fuel crisis, adding that he had informed the Power and Energy Minister about this fuel crisis, but no response from the minister came yet, reported Daily Mirror.

"Bakery production also falls under the essential service category. But nothing has been done to salvage the bakery industry so far," he lamented.

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Sri Lanka is suffering its worst economic crisis since gaining independence in 1948, which comes on the heels of successive waves of Covid-19, threatening to undo years of development progress.

According to the latest food insecurity assessment from the World Food Programme, some 6.26 million Sri Lankans, or three in 10 households, are unsure of where their next meal is coming from.

• Asia