Agric Minister Exposed As Research Group Confirm Food Price Increases In Tamale

Research Center For Policy Advocacy and Governance (ReCPAG) has published findings from research it recently conducted into food price trends in Tamale, capital of the Northern Region, indicating food prices have been going up.

The findings indicate that all popular staples in the town have seen massive increases in prices within 3 months, with some of the price hikes being as much as Ghc150 for a bag of staple food.

The research was conducted in response to claims by the Minister of Agric, Dr. Afriyie Akoto, that food prices have rather been plummeting across Ghana, especially in Tamale.

“In the wake of the Food and Agric Minister, Dr. Afriyie Owusu Akoto’s disagreement that prices of foodstuff have increased in the country, he cited Tamale to buttress his claim and argument. As a result, ReCPAG took it upon itself to conduct a survey for food prices in the Aboabo market in the Tamale metropolis…” ReCPAG said.

The report indicates that between August and November 2021 the price of an “Olonka” of beans has increased by Ghc5 from GHC 30 in August 2021 to GHC 35, by November.

For tomatoes, an Olonka is now selling for Ghc25 but was selling for Ghc20, as of August 2021.

In August, an Olonka of smoked herring (Amane) was selling for Ghc65 but in November is selling for Ghc80; An Olonka of local rice used to sell for Ghc10 but is now selling for Ghc15; while the price of a crate of eggs has shot up from Ghc20 in August to Ghc24 in November 2021.

For ginger, an Olonka used to sell for Ghc25 but is now selling for Ghc35, a bag of maize was Ghc200 but is now selling for between Ghc320 and Ghc350; while an Olonka of Gari has shot up from Ghc10 in August to Ghc15 in November.

 “Aside from the hike in fuel prices and depreciation of the cedi causing the increment, worrying realities such as the cost in factors of production has increased. For instance, the cost of plowing an acre of land (75×75) has increased from Ghc80 in 2020 to Ghc140 and Ghc150 in 2021,” ReCPAG noted.

Recent data from the Statistical Service (GSS) confirms that the inflationary rate of 9.7% is a result of an increase in the cost of foodstuff among other factors with cereals and cereal products registering a higher inflation rate of 15.5%

It said the scarcity of fertilizer which has driven up prices and the failure of the government’s fertilizer supply subsidy program it said has also resulted in smuggling of the fertilizer leaving Ghanaian farmers bereft of adequate fertilizer for use.

Yet, the Agric Minister, notorious for his tone-deaf statements about the cost of living in the country had for the umpteenth time denied real-time price hikes of food, saying a study by his ministry shows that there is a boom in food across the country.