Indian bakery market has witnessed a robust growth over the past several years. Changing consumption patterns, entry of international bakery chains and development of new product variants and flavors have given impetus to the market growth. Howeever it faces several challenges too.
“Access to qualified and trained workforce is a major hassle impacting the sector. Baking is a science. Without training, one cannot master the skills for preparing the products. The major requirements is that the industry needs to have trained manpower. Only then, it is possible to prepare the traditional bakery products as healthy as possible and marketing these will be easy.” said one of the experts.
There are approx 4000 bakery units employing four hundred thousand people directly indirectly spreading all over the state.
On the sidelines of 34th state conference of West Bengal Bakers Co-ordination Committee Sk. Ismail Hossain , Secretary,West Bengal Bakers Co-ordination Committee said “We like to invite the attention of G.S.T. panel that VAT on Hand Made Biscuits was only 5% but with G.S.T. it is 18%, this huge differences will have bigger impact on the survival of small Bakery units. So the G.S.T. on Hand Made Biscuits should be brought doom to previous rate of 5%. To curtail excel supply of coins in the market and request R.B.I. to issue necessary advise to all Banks to accept coins. We also request issuance of all licenses from single window. Easy financial loans for bakeries from Banks and Financial institutions with less paper work easy and prompt action so that scope of job creation for our state. Also to produce modern day mechanised’ hygienic products. Availability of quality raw-materials particularly flour is essential to produce healthy nutritious bread for the benefit common people.”
Idris Ali, Secretary of Joint Action Committee of West Bengal Bakers Associations said “If our demands are not met we will increase the price of bread. Consumers may soon have to shell out more to buy bread,the prices of commodities keep rising and that impacts our price.”
