In rural areas scattered across the country, food prices are very moderate. The prices of food are however expensive in urban areas, this is according to the Minister for Food and Agriculture, Dr. Owusu Afriyie Akoto said this when he spoke on URA Radio as part of his working visit to the Upper East Region.
While admitting that generally food prices had gone up, Dr. Akoto blamed it on the high costs of inputs; situations that arose and were exacerbated by COVID-19 and Russia’s war in Ukraine.
“When COVID came, industries were closed down. The basic ingredients for the manufacturing of NPK, which is the leading inorganic fertiliser, is gas. Gas supplies were low and a lot of the manufacturing companies had to close down their factories because it was not feasible at all for them to work. Globally, there’s been a shortage of fertilisers since the COVID time which is re-accentuated by what is happening in Ukraine.”
“There’s been a global shortage which has led to a spike in prices of fertilisers. Two years ago, farmers were buying fertilisers at a Ghc120 per bag of 50 kgs. Now you would be lucky if you would get it for Ghc400. Also, of course transport and all those things. Fuel prices have doubled … all of these things feed into the cost of production,” he said.
The high cost of production notwithstanding, Dr. Akoto said food prices in rural areas are moderate.
“You will find that food prices in the rural areas are very very moderate. But it is in the urban centres like Accra, Kumasi, Takoradi, Cape Coast, Koforidua and even, maybe, Tamale where you find a spike in food prices which is also feeding into inflation,” he said.
The high prices however, “does not mean there is shortage of food.”
Source: A1radioonline.com|101.1MHz|Mark Kwasi Ahumah Smith|Ghana
