Cooking salt, which used to be one of the cheapest food ingredients in the Bolgatanga Municipality, has seen its price rise by more than 50% in the past month as a result of rising commodity costs.
At the end of October 2022, a measuring bowl of salt that had previously cost GHC 20.00 in the Bolgatanga market was selling for GHC 30, while the price of a packet of Annapurna iodated salt, which had previously cost GHC 3.50, was now GHC 5.
A bowl of local rice, which was sold at GHC 16.00 in September is currently GHC 25 and a bowl of yellow or white maize sold at GCH 8 presently sells at GHC 12 while a small paint bucket of corn dough has gone up from GHC 20 to GHC 30 and millet selling at GHC 16 from GHC12 within the same period.
Madam Louisa Awuni, a trader at the grain market in the new market was not surprised at the price trends and indicated that the most preferred Binaba beans was sold at GHC 30 per the measuring ‘olonka’ bowl from the old price of GHC25.
A bucket of fresh small sized onions is sold at GHC 50 and tomatoes at the same quantity are GHC 50.
Four to five medium sized fresh tomatoes are sold for five Cedis and about 6 fingers of fresh okro are sold for two Ghana cedis.
Among the emerging fresh food commodities in the region are Frafra potatoes and a bowl cost GHC 15.00, while three small tubers of yam are sold at GHC 20.00, and a single medium sized yam also goes for GHS 10 while five fingers of raw plantain cost GHS 10.
A bowl of raw ground nuts is currently GHC 38 from the September price of GHC25.
Fresh levy vegetables also cost more, because the rains stopped earlier than expected a handful of kenaf leaves known as ‘Batu’s GHC 2, cabbages range between GHC five to GHC 10, depending on the size and a single cucumber also ranges between three to five Cedis.
At the fresh meat stands one kilogramme of beef has risen from GHC17 Ghana to GHC 20.