Local hand sanitizer manufacturers working to restock market

Some local manufacturers of hand sanitizers say they are speeding the production of the disinfectant, which has seen a very high demand since the confirmation of COVID-19 in Ghana, to replenish supplies by the end of the week.

However, some authorised importers of the product say they are uncertain on when they would receive their next consignment, especially as many of the manufacturing countries were also affected by COVID-19.

In an interview with the Ghana News Agency, on Wednesday, Madam Solace Juliana Adjah, the Chief Executive Officer of Jeswe Enterprise, manufacturers of ‘Jeswe Hand Sanitizer’, said although they supplied the market with thousands of bottles of the sanitizers a few days before Ghana recorded her first two cases, on Thursday, March 12, the markets rapidly run out of that stock.

She said the next supply, was also sold out a day after the confirmation of the disease.

Her company, she said, was working towards production, however, the prices of alcohol, carbomer, gel, essential oils and glycerine, the key components of the sanitizer, had drastically been increased.

“This has affected us because we were selling the 120-milliliter-bottle of hand sanitizer at ¢3.00, and the 500-milliliter bottle at ¢25.00 as wholesale prices,” she said.

But as the prices of ingredients have been increased, we are now going to think of how much to sell them after production,” she said.

She gave the assurance that latest by Friday, March 20, her company would re-supply the market with products.

The St. Stephen’s Pharmacy, local suppliers of the “Pure Klenz Hand Sanitizer,” on the other hand, said their hand sanitizers, which were selling at ¢3.00 per the 100-milliliter bottle was being sold at ¢10.00 by the retailers.

The Marketing Manager, who wanted to remain anonymous, expressed concern about the abnormal price hike of the product and laid the blame on the retailers.

Before the confirmation of COVID-19 in Ghana, he said, sales were quite low, he stated.

“Before the outbreak, people were not buying hand sanitizers at all. Previously, we could import just 10 boxes - with each box containing 48 bottles - and it could take about a month before someone would walk in to ask for the price of one bottle.

“I think people didn’t really know the importance of sanitizers, so most people preferred using hand creams instead,” he said.

The company imports from Germany and is unsure when they would get supplies.

“We know our products are finished on the market because of panic buying but there is nothing we can do for now. Even Germany that supplies us has run out of it in its home country as a result of this same coronavirus,” he said.

Mr Hipesh Banda, the Marketing Manager of Soha Cosmetics, manufacturers of “Soha Sanitizer” also told the GNA that a big challenge the nation was facing amid the outbreak of COVID-19 was the misconduct of retailers.

“It is unfortunate and very bad, how retailers will buy hand sanitizers from us and sell them trice or four times the price to consumers because they are desperate for the product.

“What our company, which is still produces locally on daily basis, aims to do is to help Ghana to solve the problem of COVID-19 and promote health, but retailers are taking advantage of the situation for their personal gains”.

He urged the Government to intervene and save the situation in the national interest.

Mr Hipesh said manufacturers were, however, facing a shortage of some of the ingredients for the product.

Health authorities have recommended the use of hand sanitizers as part of measures to control the spread of COVID-19