Bread shortage looms in Jaffna

[TamilNet, Sunday, 04 February 2007, 19:55 GMT]
Shortage of wheat flour in Jaffna will soon force the bakery owners in Jaffna peninsula to cease baking bread, civil society sources in Jaffna said. The stock of wheat flour at the Jaffna Secretariat had reached dangerously low levels while shipment of flour into the peninsula has been completely suspended, officials close to flour distribution in Jaffna Secretariat said.

The ship 'City of Liverpool' which brought wheat flour to Point Pedro harbour from Trincomalee, was taken to Kankesanthurai harbour and the flour was unloaded there, when it was attacked in January, alleged Point Pedro residents.

The Government Agent Jaffna, while accepting the wheat flour stock with the Secretariat is low, refused to comment on if this will result in shortage of bread in Jaffna.

Bread production in the peninsula has been reduced by 40% because the amount of wheat flour issued to them by the Jaffna District Secretariat has been temporarily limited, the bakery owners said.

The owners further said that the GA has cancelled licences given to the bakers to produce buns and biscuits.

With the Sri Lanka Army (SLA) closure of the A9 route to Jaffna in August 2006 blocking essential food items to Jaffna peninsula, almost all families in the peninsula eat bread at least for one meal and the stoppage of bread production will affect all layers of the Jaffna society, civil sources in Jaffna said.