Edward Kareweh, the General Secretary of the Ghana Agricultural Workers Union (GAWU), has disclosed that the prices of foodstuff in the country will remain high until June 2024.
He explained that some parts of the country are currently undergoing the lean season, which he said will continue until the harvest season in June next year.
This comes after food inflation declined steadily for the last six months, reaching 27.1% in January 2024.
“Well, the price of food will not get better anytime soon. Looking at the country as a whole, we are entering into or are already in the lean season of production and no part of the country is experiencing harvest of foodstuff, particularly the major samples”, he said.
Mr Kareweh further noted that “If we look at maize, it’s not being harvested anywhere in the country. Similarly, rice is also not being harvested unless those in the irrigation areas”.
“Generally speaking, there are no rains throughout the country, and at this time also the Western parts of the country will begin preparation of their farms for the major season”.
According to Mr Kareweh “during this season, all the foodstuff we are eating is from last year. So don’t expect food prices to come down now”.
He continued by indicating that his outfit “expect that by the middle to the end of March [2024], food prices will go up and stay high like that until we begin to harvest around June/July in the Southern parts of the country”.
However, the following seven divisions recorded higher inflation figures as against the national average.
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They include; Alcoholic Beverages, Tobacco and Narcotics (38.5%); Personal Care, Social Protection and Miscellaneous Goods and Services (32.0%); Restaurants and Accommodation Services (29.2%).
Also, Furnishings, Household Equipment and Routine Household Maintenance recorded (27.7%) Food and Non-Alcoholic Beverages (27.1%); Health (26.6%) and Recreation, Sports and Culture (24.9%).