Bryan Acheampong questions source of Ghana Statistical Service’s food inflation data

Bryan Acheampong, the Minister of Food and Agriculture has taken a swipe on the recent data released by the Ghana Statistical Service (GSS) on food prices and inflation, questioning the sources of their information.

According to the Minister, the GSS’s data is akin to what his Ministry’s tracking of food prices presents.

“I don’t know where Statistical Service collected their data from.

“I am in every part of this country daily. I get data on farm gate prices of almost 22 commodities that we are tracking. I get market prices of these items daily,” he said on Accra-based JoyNews Thursday, October 10, 2024.

According to the Minister, the prices of maize has risen due to the dry spell. However, prices for other essential food items such as plantain, tomatoes, onions, and cassava have dropped significantly.

“Plantain has dropped by 27%, tomatoes by 30%, onions by 11%, and cassava by 13%,” he said, dismissing the idea that food prices are spiraling out of control.

“This is what is happening on the ground… If you go to the market, the prices of everything, except maize, are coming down,” he indicated.

Mr. Acheampong noted that the Ghana Statistical Service’s method of comparing September 2024 prices to those of September 2023 doesn’t reflect the more recent downward trend in food prices.

“Inflation figures for September are comparing prices from September this year to last year September. But I am telling you, from January to date, the price of food is going down,” Bryan Acheampong clarified.

He elaborated further by noting that despite the dry spell, food prices had largely stabilised, especially during September.

“Notwithstanding the announcement of the dry spell, we’ve seen a significant decrease in the prices of food on the market. The foods that we eat—tomatoes, onions, peppers, cassava, plantain, soya, sorghum, millet—except for maize, everything is going down.”

Bryan Acheampong concluded by reaffirming his commitment to keeping his finger on the pulse of Ghana’s food systems and ensuring accurate data is provided.

He suggested that the Statistical Service’s methods may not capture the day-to-day realities of the markets as closely as his Ministry’s data.

Source:onuaonline.com