TOMATO PRICE HIKE: Market Women Call on Gov’t for Urgent Intervention
Some market women plying their trade along a section of the railroad, a tomato wholesale center in Accra are complaining bitterly about the adverse impact of high cost of tomatoes importation in recent times, making the success and sustainability of their businesses a force to reckon with.
Speaking to Pan African TV’s Rebecca Ama Otoo, the traderssaid the situation left them with no other options but to exorbitantly increase the prices of the commodity on the local market to cover up for their expenses.
The staple vegetable which completes the ingredients for most daily meals, and one of the cheapest commodities on the Ghanaian local market has seen an astronomical increase in prices in recent times.
With an increase margin of at least twice the initial price for half the same old quantity, constituting the current outrageous pricing, tomato became a very expensive and unaffordable foodstuff for the ordinary Ghanaian.
Tracing the root cause of the price hike, some tomato sellers attributed the situation to the scarcity of the commodity in the country due to climate change and government’s inability to assist Ghanaian farmers by constructing dams solely for irrigation purposes to help supply water to farms all-year-round.
They added that the Agric Ministry failed to support farmers with tomato seeds and seedlings for cultivation.
Out of frustration, some of the traders suggested that tomato farmers and sellers should embark on a nationwide strike to send a strong signal to the government and the Agaric Ministry to realize how bad and serious the situation has become.
However, some of the traders also urged the government to construct a dam in tomato-growing districts to serve as source of water for irrigation to help maximize tomato production.
The current hike in prices of tomato has become a daily struggle for the ordinary Ghanaian in preparation of daily meals for their families.
In an attempt to cope with the situation, some families make changes to their menu to make tomato a less-needed ingredient while others prepare these meals without the stapple vegetable which is a good source of vitamins and several minerals such as vitamins C, folate, potassium, and vitamin K.
By: Rebecca Ama Otoo, Pan African TV