Ethiopia plans massive free bread hand-out

The authorities in Ethiopia's capital, Addis Ababa plan to distribute hundreds of thousands of loaves of bread for free as part of celebrations to mark the Ethiopian new year, 2013.

The one-day treat, on Monday 7 September, will start five days of celebration to mark the last month of the Ethiopian calendar.

Back in June, the government unveiled a huge bakery on the outskirts of the capital.

Officials say it has the capacity to produce two million mid-size loaves of bread a day.

A government official shared a video of the Sheger bakery in operation during the launch.

It is not clear how many loaves are planned to be baked in this bakery and how much it would cost the city authorities.

Bread is a favourite food in Addis Ababa and queues outside bakeries are common.

Ethiopians will celebrate New Year 2013, on 11 September, 2020.

Today the Sheger Bakery factory is going through testing. Look at the pace of these machines! Testing & monitoring will be completed in the next few weeks & then we are finally in production!!! Expected capacity is 2 million loaves???? per day! So proud of our team! #FeedAddis pic.twitter.com/B82Y8hHvEO

— Takele Uma Banti (@TakeleUma) June 18, 2020