The Ministry of Trade, Industry, Regional Integration and Employment (MoTIE) has announced that following their engagement with The Gambia Bakers’ Union (GBU), who had earlier announced plan to increase the price of bread from D10 to D15 per loaf, the decision on the bread price increment was put on hold pending a collective and thorough analysis on the cost structure of bread.
This information is contained in a press release issued by MoTIE yesterday. It said that the Ministry had engaged the Union to understand the reasons for the increment, which was later said to be linked to an increase in the input cost of bread production.
The discussions and dialogue involved the GBU, together with the Gambia Competition and Consumer Protection Commission (GCCPC) and the Consumer Consortium,
The release stated that Government of The Gambia, through the Trade Ministry, is committed to continuing to monitor the production, distribution, and sale of bread in the country. The objective, it says, is to ensure that bread, as an essential food commodity, is available and accessible to the population.
“… A taskforce comprising this Ministry, GCCPC and GBU, was constituted to collect data on the bread cost structure. Input cost data from 48 “Senfur” and “Tapala” bakeries across the country were collected to guide the Government’s position on the price of bread in the country. After the collection and analysis of the data, the taskforce presented the results to MoTIE’s Senior Management and the Executive of the Bakers’ Union on Wednesday, 7th May 2025. The presented data revealed that the proposed increase in the price of bread by the Bakers’ Union could not be empirically supported.
As such, the general public is hereby informed that out of the negotiations, the prices of bread for both ‘Senfur’ and ‘Tapalapa’ remain at ten Dalasis (D10) per loaf across the country,” the release stated.
The Ministry pledged to continue to engage stakeholders in the value chain for amicable and lasting solutions, considering the wider interests of the public. “Any outcome of the engagements shall meet the national quality standards developed by the Gambia Standards Bureau,” it concludes.
