The ginger that adds heat to a bowl of soup, the tomatoes that form the base of many Ghanaian stews and the mangoes enjoyed as a snack were among the items that recorded the biggest price increases in July.
Ginger led the list, with prices more than doubling from a year earlier, while mangoes rose by almost 90% and fresh tomatoes by more than 40%, according to data from the Ghana Statistical Service (GSS).
The figures offer a closer look at what is happening to prices at the market at a time when Ghana’s overall inflation rate is falling.
Ginger recorded the highest year-on-year increase at 111.3% in July. Mango followed at 89.0%, while shrimps rose 67.1%.
Bananas increased 45.9% and fresh tomatoes 43.4%. Fresh coconut rose 39.2%, avocado pear 32.9%, palm fruits 32.7% and cashew 29.1%. Parking space and other services recorded a 28.3% increase.
Nine of the 10 biggest price increases were recorded for food or agricultural products.
For consumers, the list includes products that feature in everyday meals and diets. Ginger is widely used to season food and drinks, tomatoes are a staple ingredient in stews and sauces, while mangoes, bananas, avocado pears and coconuts are common fruits. Shrimps and cashew add protein and other nutrients to diets.
The increases came even as Ghana’s headline inflation eased to 4.6% in July, from 5.3% in June and 12.1% a year earlier.
Food inflation also slowed to 3.1%, from 3.9% in June.
The gap between the headline figure and individual prices is important. The inflation rate is calculated from a broad basket of goods and services, meaning sharp increases in particular products can sit alongside much slower price growth elsewhere.
Some of the products on the July list were also significant contributors to the overall rate.
Fresh tomatoes accounted for 11.9% of total inflation, while ginger accounted for 11.8%, according to the GSS. Rent was the largest contributor at 13.0%.
Cooked rice contributed 8.9%, river fish 6.2%, charcoal 6.1%, while secondary school fees and bus and trotro fares each contributed 5.4%.
The July data therefore points to a more uneven price picture beneath the headline inflation rate.
While the pace of inflation has slowed sharply from a year ago, households that spend more on the products recording the largest increases are likely to face a different cost pressure from the national average.
For shoppers, the headline rate may be cooling, but what they pay still depends heavily on what is in the basket.
