The Upper East Regional Director of Food and Agriculture, Mr. Francis Enno has backed the Minister for Food and Agriculture Dr. Owusu Afriyie Akoto’s claim that people’s perception that food prices have sky-rocketed is false. Speaking to Samuel Mbura on A1 Radio’s Day Break Upper East Show (DBUE), Mr. Enno said the picture painted by the Minister for Agriculture was true and exact adding that while prices of general goods have increased, prices of food products are falling.
“It is exactly the true picture that he said [Minister for Agriculture]. Generally, prices of items increased nationally; it is not only agricultural products as a result of the global issue we are all facing but prices are falling,” he said.
Mr. Enno indicated that because farmers have begun harvesting their produce from the farms, prices have begun to fall from the previously steep prices. Touching on food prices in the region, the Director for Food and Agriculture said the only food product that still has a high price on the markets in the Upper East Region is ‘bambara beans’.
“If you come to the region, it is only ‘bambara beans’ that is still high. For other foodstuffs, the prices have dropped. Around October, cowpea that was sold at 1000ghc is not 600ghc,” he disclosed.
He indicated that once farmers have begun harvesting the ‘bambara beans,’ prices will fall. Mr. Enno mentioned that the fall in the prices of the food products is a situation that is prevalent across the country and not just in the Upper East Region. The Regional Director of Food and Agriculture indicated that the price of a bag of maize was around 250ghc last year but prices of the same quantity of maize had dropped.
He recounted to A1 Radio the prices of some bunches of plantains he bought from Sunyani. “Plantain was very expensive but when I went to that place [Sunyani], the full bunch, I had 4 for 50ghc. Previously we use to get once bunch for 25-30ghc,” he disclosed.
He indicated that the statistics available to the Ministry of Agriculture as indicated by the Minister was provided by the various Metropolitan, Municipal and District Department of Food and Agriculture, through the Regional Departments to the Ministry. He revealed that data collected at the various markets across the week is carried to the Ministry on a weekly basis.
A1Radioonline.com|101.1MHz| Mark Kwasi Ahumah Smith|Ghana
