Tomato prices at the Agbogbloshie Market have dropped significantly after being high for months. This decrease is due to the fact that tomatoes are currently in season.
Comfort Annor, a tomato seller, told Citi Business News that the new lower prices are allowing customers to buy more.
For example, a small paint bucket of Navrongo tomatoes now costs GH₵70, down from GH₵150, and other local tomatoes are now GH₵60 instead of GH₵100 to GH₵120. Even though prices could drop more if wholesale prices go down, they are currently being sold for GH₵60.
While lower prices should help consumers, they are causing problems for sellers who are struggling to find buyers.
Many customers are asking for even lower prices, which is hurting the sellers’ profits.
For instance, a small paint bucket of tomatoes that used to cost GH₵30 is now being offered for GH₵10, but sales are still slow.
Dede Bibioo, another tomato seller, mentioned that although wholesale prices have dropped— with a box of tomatoes now costing between GH₵1,500-2,000 instead of GH₵7,000—finding buyers is still a challenge.
Customers are happy about the lower prices and hope they will continue to fall. Some believe that if fuel prices go down, vegetable prices, including tomatoes, will also decrease.
With many tomatoes at risk of spoiling, sellers are eager to sell them quickly.
They suggest that the government should support year-round tomato farming and invest in factories to process tomatoes, which could help stabilize prices and reduce the need for imports.
Comfort Annor also suggested that more land should be used for large-scale tomato farming to prevent price increases.
