It is harvest season for many food items in many parts of Ghana. From onion fields in the Northern Region to rice valleys in the Volta and yam farms in the Bono, farmers are reporting bumper harvests.
But ironically, the latest data from the Ghana Statistical Service shows that some of these items or their derivatives are among the top 20 contributors to inflation for September 2025.
According to the CPI release, onions recorded a 13.8% month-on-month increase in price, while yams saw an increase on a year-on-year basis but recorded a decline on a month-on-month basis. Should this month-on-month decline be sustained, Ghanaians will see the full impact of the glut in the coming weeks.
Even derivatives such as cooked rice (14.6%) and popular dishes like kenkey with fried fish (18.2%) made the list. This paints a troubling picture. Despite farmers struggling with glut and pleading with authorities to prevent post-harvest losses, consumers continue to pay more in the markets.
Maize and rice are in season, but their derivatives, kenkey and cooked rice, respectively, are seeing the price hikes. From the data, all recorded month-on-month increase in inflation.
The irony is not lost on ordinary Ghanaians. If food is abundant, why are prices still high?
The answer, experts argue, lies beyond the farms. Transportation costs, inefficient supply chains, and heavy middlemen markups are inflating the final market prices.
Onion farmers in the north have repeatedly lamented that a bag of onions sells cheaply at the farm gate, yet by the time it reaches Accra markets, the price more than doubles. Similarly, rice farmers in the North and Volta complain of unsold stock, but consumers in Accra and Kumasi still face rising prices of local rice and rice-based meals.
This is a clear indication that supply chain issues are the main problems driving prices of food items, which are already in abundance.
This is confirmed by the recommendation of the Government Statistician, Dr. Iddrissu Alhassan, that the government must ensure the supply chains that get the food items transported from the rural areas to the city centres are streamlined.
He further called on businesses to also invest in supply chains to enhance processes.
“Invest in efficiency and local supply chains while inflation is low and cut waste, strengthen sourcing from local producers, and reposition to grow as the economy stabilizes,” he called on business.
He further appealed that they should also “pass cost savings to consumers where inputs are cheaper to build trust and competitiveness.”
The government statistician further states that the government must “focus resources on keeping food prices low by strengthening storage, irrigation, and transport.”
What is clear from the September numbers is that inflation is no longer just about shortages; it is about structural inefficiencies. Until transport systems are improved, storage facilities expanded, and profiteering middlemen reined in, Ghana will continue to experience the bitter irony of gluts coexisting with soaring food prices.
