Traders in several markets in Accra have dismissed claims by the Food and Agriculture Minister Eric Opoku that food prices — particularly tomatoes — are declining.
The Minister attributed recent reductions to government policies and bumper harvests. Official figures support his position, with the Ghana Statistical Service reporting that food inflation, which was over 26 percent in March, dropped to 14.8 percent in August and further declined to 11 percent in September. Overall inflation has also eased to 9 percent — the lowest in more than three years.
Mr. Opoku said the gains were the result of bumper harvests and targeted interventions.
However, some traders insist that the reality on the ground is more complex. Tomato sellers, in particular, strongly disagreed with the Minister’s assertion, saying their prices remain high despite the official statistics.
“Tomatoes are currently very expensive, with a box selling for about GHC2,200. If it is true that there is an excess of tomatoes in Kumasi, then that supply has not made its way to Accra,” one seller said.
Another trader explained that while prices fluctuate, the trend has been upward.
“At times, the price is a bit affordable, but in the past two weeks, it has gone up. Customers keep saying there is abundance, yet the box used to measure quantity has been reduced,” she lamented.
Suppliers also questioned the claim of surplus, maintaining that if there were truly excess tomatoes in Kumasi, suppliers would have brought them to Accra.
The tomatoes currently on the market are transported from Ada and the Volta Region.
However, onions told a slightly different story. Onion seller Abigail Teye said she avoids local onions altogether, since its usually of low quality, rot easily and are not preferred by customers.
Other sellers, however, admitted that prices of onions have eased since they patronise local produce.
“Onion prices in general have reduced this year. Last year [2025], a bag was selling at around GHC3,200. But now it goes for between GHC1,000 and GHC1,800 cedis, depending on the market. This is because of the large harvest,” An onion wholesaler said.
Maize, a staple in most households, has also seen significant drops from 1,400 cedis to about 900 cedis.
The traders credit the government interventions and call for the introduction of more to drive prices further down.
At a rice shop, prices of even imported brands had inched down slightly, though traders believe this is due to the reduction in the cedi-dollar rate.
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