As Muslims across the country prepare to celebrate Eid ul-Fitr, some traders have taken advantage of the festivities to increase prices, starting with rice, cooking oil, African print fabrics, meat and other food items. During a visit by The Mirror to the Makola and Madina markets in Accra last Tuesday and Wednesday, the products had seen increases in prices within the last week. The traders attributed the hikes mainly to increased demand and transportation costs, noting that currency depreciation, which used to be a major factor, had been stable for a while.
A trader at the Makola Market, Amanda Yaovi, told this reporter that a five-kilogramme bag of Lele rice, which was going for GH¢175 just a week ago, had become GH¢215. Similarly, a 4.5-litre bottle of Frytol cooking oil had jumped from GH¢00 to GH¢250, a price which she said could be negotiated to GH¢240.
She added that, “as usual, prices will go down after the festivities, and as businesswomen, we had to take advantage of the season to make some sales,” she said jokingly. “Sometimes, the whole month, you may not be able to make your desired sales, so times like these help us catch up; then we can restock,” another trader, Aisha Suleiman, who was a few metres away, said while defending the prices. Further checks revealed a surge in the cost of live animals, particularly chicken, goats and cows.
At a poultry stall inside the Madina market close to the overhead bridge, a broiler which used to go for between GH.
