Tomato prices shoot up in first week of May

Checks by Esoko Ghana have revealed that tomato recorded the highest gain in price for the first week of May 2016.

The price of tomato increased by twenty percent to close the week at 10 cedis 70 pesewas per medium size tin.

This was followed by yam which recorded a ten percent gain in price to close the week at 6 cedis 70 pesewas per medium size tuber.

According to Esoko, gari and local rice followed with 3 and 2 percent increase in prices to close the week at 5 cedis 10 pesewas and 5 cedis 50 pesewas respectively.

Meanwhile the price of cassava which has been increasing for sometime now declined by 3 percent to close the week at 7 cedis 30 pesewas for three to four tubers.

On the various markets, a medium size tin full of tomatoes gained 70 percent in Kumasi to close the week at 17 cedis; 30 percent in Techiman to close at 13 cedis.

In Accra and Takoradi, the price of tomato went up by 11 and 6 percent to close the week at 12 cedis 90 pesewas and 19 cedis respectively.

Soyabean also dropped by a percentage to close the week at 6 cedis per medium size tin. On the various markets, the price per medium size tin of maize dropped by 2 percent in Kumasi to close the week at 5 cedis 40 pesewas.

On the other markets however, the price remained the same.

Tomato price increases from January to May

This is the tenth time the price of the commodity has gone up this year.

Some reasons cited by Esoko Ghana as accounting for this surge in prices include; the delay in the onset of rain in Ghana for the early part of this year.

In addition, Content Manager at Esoko Ghana, Francis Danso Adjei says Burkina Faso which supplies most of the imports to Ghana is experiencing its lean season and farmers in Ghana have also delayed in commencing their planting season.