Ghana’s Agriculture Ministry Considers Transporting Food Items to the City Centres to Lower Costs for Citizens

The Agriculture Ministry is considering transporting food commodities directly from farm gates to the city markets to lower the cost for Ghanaians. Although some market traders in the urban markets claimed that the constant increase in petroleum prices was the reason for the rising cost of food commodities, the Agriculture Ministry believes otherwise and is accusing the traders of excessive profiteering. Petrol and diesel prices in W45 have tripled since the beginning of 2022, from USD 0.42/litre and USD 0.49/litre to USD 1.27/litre and USD 1.62/litre, respectively. Some food items have seen their prices double or triple at urban market centres, although, per official figures, inflation now stands around 40.2% for the month of October 2022.