Ghanaians’ Complaint Of High Food Prices Is Hallucination -Says Out Of Touch Agric Minister

The Food and Agriculture Minister, Dr. Owusu Afriyie Akoto, has clapped back at the broad cross-section of Ghanaians complaining that food prices have seen sharp increases, saying the reported high food prices are simply figments of the imaginations of the complainants.

“That is a wrong perception. The statistics that we compiled in this ministry do not support that…nobody complained about the size of Kenkey,” the Minister said during a swearing-in ceremony of the newly appointed members of the Irrigation Company of Upper Region (ICOUR).

“In spite of what the naysayers were saying few months ago, including the former president (John Mahama), that there is going to be famine, in fact, we are on the cusp of a major boom in food production,” the Minister continued.

The opinion of the minister from the mystery statistics compiled by the Ministry of Agriculture is clearly out of touch with the pervasive opinion and fact in the markets. 

A quick scan through the markets reveal that prices of essential commodities, rent and food items have risen sharply with a cup of onion and tomatoes, for instance, recording hikes of up to 50% in many markets.

Besides, data from the Ghana Statistical Service (GSS) recently acknowledged the sharp increases in food prices were responsible for the significant rise in inflation from 7.8% in June 2021 to 9% in July.

According to the International Newswire in its August 12 publication, the median of five economists’ estimates in a Bloomberg survey was 7.9%. Prices climbed 1.6% in July 2021. 

“…Non-food prices rose 8.6%, after climbing 8.2% in the prior month, propelled by higher rentals and transport fares. Food inflation accelerated to 9.5%, compared with 7.3% in June,” Bloomberg wrote.

Besides, across Europe, America and in many other countries, food prices are rising sharply due to the economic crunch caused by the COVID-19 pandemic and the draconian measures world governments are adopting to address it. 

It is therefore shocking that despite the overwhelming data and qualitative assessment of real-time rise in prices of staple foods like Kenkey, bread, rice, etc in Ghana, Dr. Akoto is relying on his incredulity to placate the public to ignore the reality and rely on a so-called data allegedly compiled by the Agric Ministry indicting that no hikes whatsoever are being experienced in the prices of food.

Meanwhile, while some have attributed the increment in food prices to the hike in fuel prices, others believe it is the significant depreciation of Ghana’s local currency that is causing the hikes because Ghana still relies heavily on food importation.