BUJUMBURA, February 21st (ABP) – Members of the Association of Artisanal Bread Producers of Burundi (APPBU) ask the ministries in charge of Trade, Environment and Hydraulics to facilitate their supply of sugar, firewood and fuel, so that they can produce quality bread in sufficient quantity.
The request was made last week, in Bujumbura, during the general assembly of that association, which was organized with a view to self-assessment and discussing future prospects.
That general assembly of the APPBU was honored with presence of the permanent executive secretary of the Mukaza commune, Mr. Léonard Wakana, the legal advisor to the department of home trade, Mrs. Sandrine Kanyamuneza, the advisor to the office of the minister in charge of the environment, Mr. Innocent Ntezahorigwa, as well as the partners of the association who will soon provide them with industrial packaging.
The leader of APPBU, Mr. Innocent Nduwimana, specified that this association took inception in 2018 after the government’s decision to ban and withdraw from the market the production and importation of all non-biodegradable packaging.
Mr. Nduwimana noted that despite the difficulties encountered by APPBU members in different provinces of the country, following the lack of sugar to mix with other ingredients, firewood for the ovens and fuel for those who have generators, artisanal bread producers have done their best to continue producing bread on a daily basis, especially since bread is considered a staple among so many households across the country.
Apart from the daily production of bread, the APPBU has not failed to carry out both internal and external acts of solidarity. Thus, it was able to assist its 5 members who lost theirs, to the tune of one million each. Externally, the association paid the bills of 7 destitute patients at the Prince Regent Charles hospital, with a total amount of two million. They also provided clothing, bread, sugar and money to the most vulnerable prisoners in Mpimba. This assistance to prisoners was worth two million BIF, according to the chairman of the APPBU.
The members of that association also ask the ministry in charge of agriculture to grant them property to grow trees because, they said, without firewood, they can do nothing.
He hoped that, within a short time, each APPBU member would have a certificate of recognition from the Burundi Bureau of Standards and Quality Control (BBN) and the National Food Technology Center (CNTA).
The representative of the Mukaza commune administration as well as the representatives of the ministries mentioned above, encouraged the APPBU to move forward while working in synergy, and to seek experts in the field to bring innovations. They reassured that the APPBU’s grievances will be transmitted to the competent authorities. Finally, they proposed that this association could find other alternatives within the framework of protecting the environment because, they explained, if you cut down one tree, you have to grow two.
Note that the association of artisanal bread producers in Burundi has approximately 300 bakeries throughout the country.