The Minister of Food and Agriculture, Eric Opoku, has pointed fingers at middlemen in the food distribution chain, accusing them of pocketing abnormal profits while both farmers and consumers lose out.
This comes despite a dramatic crash in the prices of food crops at the farmgate.
Speaking during an interview on the Citi Breakfast Show monitored by Ghanaian RADAR newspaper, Mr. Opoku revealed that farmers are being forced to sell their produce for a fraction of its former price. He disclosed that a truck of yams that initially sold for GH¢7,000 has now plummeted to between GH¢2,000 and GH¢3,000 at the farmgate.
“We have some people also posing as middlemen between the farmers and urban areas, and they are engaging in profiteering, trying to enjoy abnormal profit,” the Minister stated. He explained that these intermediaries buy cheaply from farmers but then sell at what he described as ‘throat-cutting’ prices to urban consumers, preventing shoppers from feeling the full benefit of lower farm costs.
Consumer Choices Widen the Gap
Mr. Opoku further identified shopping habits as a key factor sustaining the high cost of food. He noted that some city dwellers bypass cheaper local produce in traditional markets, opting instead for imported food items found in shopping malls.
“When you get to the mall, some of the food items are imported, and the prices cannot be compared to those in the local market now because the local ones are now cheaper than the imported ones,” he stressed.
A Call to Support Local Food
In his appeal to the nation, the Minister urged Ghanaians to actively support local production by choosing home-grown foods. He described this as the surest way to protect local farmers, strengthen the national economy, and reduce a costly dependency on imports.
“We, as a government, have decided to produce to feed Ghanaians,” he declared. “They must reciprocate our gesture by eating Ghana for us .”
