Price of yam increases in third week of March

Ghanaians should expect to pay more for yam (pona) since the price of the commodity has appreciated in its price.

The price of yam has increased by 8 percent and is now being sold in the market at an average price of GHc5.20 per “medium size tuber.”

Maize also recorded an increase of 4 percent to close the third week of March, selling at GHc5.00 per medium size tin. Checks by Esoko Ghana revealed that cassava (fresh tubers) and tomato also increased marginally 3 percent gain each.

Both closed the week at GHc6.50 and 6.90 per “3-4 tubers” and medium size tomato tin respectively.

Wheat gained by a percentage point to close the week at GHc12.50 per “olonka.”

Rice (local) and Soyabean dropped 2 percent each. Both closed the week at GHc7.70 and 6.00 per “olonka.” Millet followed with a percentage point loss to close the week at GHc5.20 per “olonka”.

Esoko Ghana’s check on the various markets further showed that the price for an “olonka” of maize gained by 4 percent in Kumasi to close the week at GHc5.20 and also gained by 25 percent in Dambai to close the week at GHc5.00, whilst in the other markets, the price remained the same.

A “medium size tomato tin” full of fresh tomatoes lost 20 percent in Accra to close the week at GHc8.00.

The commodity however made some gains in Kumasi and Takoradi, In Kumasi; it gained 23 percent to close the week at GHc9.00 with Takoradi also gaining 18 percent to close the week at GHc12.00.

In the other markets, the price remained the same. Analysis of price change Content Manager at Esoko Ghana, Francis Danso Adjei explained that the price of yam increased because “there is no “pona” in the system. So it is the few ones the farmers bring to the market that is being sold in the market.”

“We are still waiting for the bumper harvest. Tomato is also moving up, it means that the lot that were in the system from Burkina Faso is reducing, so we are going to see more price increase in the coming weeks. With rice, the prices have gone down because there is a lot in the system from the north,” he added.

See the chart below: