By Derick Tsimba

Government is calling on bakers to produce bread with local ingredients to save wheat imports, the Ministry of Information, Publicity and Information has said.

The Ministry of Information said this on its twitter handle that Government today during a Cabinet meeting was urgently engaging local bakers to help the country produce 100% bread locally.

“Government is engaging bakers to produce standard loaves of bread with 100% local ingredients, including wheat to help the country save on wheat imports.

“We are currently engaging the baking sector specifically looking at the issues of bread availability and the price of bread. As Government we have been engaging the sector for past some time now and we are worried that there is always demand for importation of wheat. We want to encourage our industry to consider supporting local industries. As Government we are quite keen to see that bread is available at affordable prices to the generality of our people,” the Ministry of Information has revealed.

Speaking to the Media after briefing the Cabinet meeting, a baker from Gweru, Douglas Kwenda demystified the myth that Zimbabwe could not produce a loaf of bread.

“DCM supermarkets in Gweru is currently providing bread to the local community by using locally produced wheat, I happen to be a farmer so I also buy wheat from other farmers. We mill the wheat 100% and take it to the bakeries for use. Our local wheat can also bake bread without anything we add,” said Kwenda.

Meanwhile, to avert the shortage of wheat for baking bread, Government is receiving wheat deliveries at Beira secured by President Emmerson Mnangagwa during his recent trip to Russia.