The harsh economic conditions have not spared any aspect of the economy, including street food.
In the past, foods like roasted plantain and maize were considered by most Ghanaians for its unique taste but especially for their cheap nature.
With GH¢10, one could afford five pieces of plantain with groundnut but checks by GhanaWeb Business showed that one piece of plantain sells at 10 cedis for 1 and 5 cedis for a small piece at some parts of Accra.
Speaking to GhanaWeb Business’ Stella Dziedzorm Sogli on this week’s edition of BizTech, traders detailed the increasing cost of transportation as the major cause for the increase.
According to them, even though plantain is in season, extra costs make it expensive by the time it gets to the consumer.
A plantain seller at East Legon said: “Now they count 4 or 5 for 20 cedis and the small ones for 3 for 10 cedis. I sell it for 5 cedis for one. Many people complain that it is expensive. Initially, things were not expensive, but now everything is expensive, including charcoal, paper and others. After deducting everything from food to transportation and rent, we don’t make a profit.”
Another seller noted that if not for the harsh economic conditions, she could have sold it for 3 cedis.
“At first, roasted plantain was for ‘broke’ people, but now it’s expensive. The market is not good, so if I buy 200 cedis worth of plantain and it gets sold, I would get some to take care of my family. Even when I buy 200 cedis, it doesn’t get finished,” she added.
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SSD/MA