By LAJA THOMAS
AN indigenous firm, Caronc Holdings Limited is set to crash bakery equipment prices in Nigeria as it has entered into partnership with a South African firm; Tombake.

Explaining what informed the move to begin importation of the equipment, the company’s  Chairman, Chris Alabi, said the importation of Tombake equipment would complement government agricultural transformation action plan and boost bakers’ business, as the equipment will provide competitive pricing for bakers, which is key to their business.

“The Tombake equipment being brought in will offer prospective bakers a second choice in determining which way to go.

“Before now, the market had been dominated by one brand and people buy at any price. But now, we believe that Nigeria should be in a position to look somewhere else. Nigerians have been bleeding in terms of high prices, but with a second choice for quality, it will force prices down and bakers and consumers will be the better for it,” Alabi said.

He added that the move would also seamlessly ensure the success of government’s campaign as it concerns the adoption of 40 per cent cassava input into bread production, thereby saving the country about N315 billion annually in wheat importation.

This, Alabi said, would in return create employment in cassava production and lower the price of bread. Nigeria spends N635 billion on the importation of wheat annually.

At the launch of the products in Lagos, Alabi put Nigeria’s flour consumption conservatively at about 300 million tons yearly. “In terms of bread, that is a lot. An average Nigerian would eat bread at least once a day. Certainly there is a cheaper alternative now available for bakery industry in Nigeria for bread production. It is a quality product perfectly and technically on specification.”

Regretting that some of the small local bakers are still using wood ovens, which is destroying the eco system, Alabi emphasised that with the cheaper products, which do not compromise on quality