Accra, June 14, GNA -Commodity prices remained mixed ahead of Eid-ul-Fitr celebrations, a Ghana News Agency (GNA) market survey had shown.
The review carried out on Thursday, showed that while some prices of foodstuff had been reduced, others saw marginal increases and some remained flat.
At the Tudu Market, live fowls (chicken) which previously ranges from GH¢50 to GH¢70, depending on the size and weight now sells between GH¢60 and GH¢80.
Mr Yakusu Hassan, a poultry farmer attributed the increase in cost to the recent hikes in fuel prices that saw transport fares go up.
« Fuel prices have been increased, transport fare and prices of maize have also increased. I had to transport the fowls from my farm to Accra. I have to calculate all the expenses and that brought about the increase in the price, » he told the GNA.
Meanwhile, the price of a box of tomato was unchanged at GH¢550 and GH¢600 for the Navorongo variety while the local ones were going for GH¢250 and GH¢300.
Similarly, a sack of onion remains at GH¢380.
The price of a sack of pepper is on the rise and ranges between GH¢250 to GH¢320, a trend Madam Comfort Lamptey, a trader attributed to the seasonality of the commodity.
Commodities such as rice, cooking oil, tomato paste, plantain, and cassava and yam tubers still maintain their prices depending on their sizes.
The story was not different at the Tema Station market, while some of the commodities saw increases. A bag of onion which was previously sold at GH¢250 is now being sold at GH¢320.00.
However, the prices of some foodstuffs at Tema Station market have not changed. They included gari, corn dough, cassava dough, yam, fish and pepper.
Meanwhile, traders at the Tema Station, Tudu and Makola markets had expressed worry over the low patronage of goods, especially foodstuffs, ahead of the Eid-ul-Fitr (Salah) celebrations.
According to the traders, the low patronage of foodstuffs was as a result of an increase in wholesale prices, which in turn caused an increase in retail prices.
According to them, although people were trooping to the Market, the rate of sales recorded was very low, since majority of them came to the market to do window shopping.
Madam Lydia, a lace seller, said sales for materials for clothing were low.
« I went to Dubai to bring a lot of lace and materials but things are still in the store. Last year by this time, my store was almost empty, » she said.
However, an interview with many of the Muslim buyers revealed that, most of the things they needed for the Salah has already been bought because they knew prices would be increased when the season was due.
CA/DSA
