John Dumelo, the Deputy Minister for Food and Agriculture, has connected a persistent plant disease that is lowering yields on farms to the current ginger shortage and high price increases.
Ginger was one of the top ten high-inflation commodities, with a 61 percent year-over-year price increase, according to data from the Ghana Statistical Service’s March Consumer Price Index.
In response to the price spike, Dumelo advised dealers and customers to be patient as the government attempts to resolve the issue.
He pointed out that the effect on production has caused a supply shock, driving prices to previously unheard-of heights.
“There’s a strange ginger disease that has come and formed the last two years. It has affected most of the ginger farmers [making] ginger very expensive, and more so, most of the farmers, when they harvest, they get very little produce,” he explained.
“I am still a farmer, and a sack of ginger that we used to sell between 300 and 400 cedis, is being sold at 3,000 or 3,500 cedis,” Dumelo said, highlighting the extent of the price increase for the well-liked spice.
“But we at the Agric Ministry are looking for an antidote for that disease, and that may take time. But I can assure that we are working around the clock to be able to address that disease so that ginger production continues, so that the price comes down.”
The Ministry is presently looking into ways to stabilise the market and lessen the disease’s effects. Authorities claim that combating the outbreak is essential to restoring supply and lowering prices, even if there may not be much immediate relief.
The message for traders and consumers is clear: while government-led initiatives seek to boost production and prevent additional price hikes in Ghana’s ginger market, patience is crucial.
Source: newsthemegh.com