Food price hikes beyond high transport fares

The cost of the minimum standard of living in Accra has been on a steady rise in recent times and his includes the cost of food, even food that is grown locally.

In the middle of a stagnant economy, this certainly becomes a bitter pill for most residents, Government has become the most convenient doorstep to place the blame luggage and of course, this becomes a handy political currency for opposition parties.

The New Publisher is of the view the rising cost of food is not entirely to be blamed on external factors or a team of inept persons managing the economy.

In many instances, middle men in the food supply chain and exceedingly greedy traders are culpable in what seems to be an artificial hike in the cost of food.

Just around the outskirts of Accra, the country’s capital, the price of food is lower and margins in price difference are of curious proportions that makes one wonder the rational and intent.

It raises suspicions whether local players in the free market environment are hiding behind the global crisis to deliberately manipulate prices of food items.

Sadly, not many city dwellers are able to drive to the outskirts just to buy food stuffs.

It is a situation that may require some creative strategy to lessen the pains residents are being subjected to when they have to buy food.

For instance, it would not be out of place for the Ministry of Food and Agriculture to heed to suggestions it should create a system of getting to the food planting regions of the country buy these cheap food items and bring them to Accra to sell to the people at realistic prices.

When the persons taking unfair advantage of the situation realize the monopoly has been broken, they would put on their shelved thinking caps and start to act right.

Sometimes, we wrap ourselves in holier-than-thou fabrics and blame all others but ourselves when in all honesty, we the accusers are the real problem.

The situation is similar to what happened in the early days and weeks of the COVID lockdown when middle men and traders started to sell face shields at extremely high prices as though they were made of refined gold.

It got to a time one single face shield sold for as high as GHC50. When the monopoly broke, same face shield dropped to as low as GHC2.

In looking for a solution, all options should and must be on the table and it if means Government stepping in with special markets to sell food stuffs at realistic prices, why not?