The surge in the prices of fertilizer has an adverse effect on the production of fruits and vegetables across the country.
Fruits, as well as vegetables, contain essential nutrients for the nourishment of the human body.
In recent times, the patronage of fruits and vegetables has seen a nose dive due to hikes in the prices of fertilizer and fuel products.
A fertiliser dealer discloses to Business daily that high fertilizer prices are making it difficult for farmers to purchase.
She said, a bag of fertiliser now sells at GH 300 but she sells a cup for GHC 4.00.
“The sale of fertiliser is not as rapid as it used to be. The farmers buy weedicide together with the fertiliser, both of these are expensive. But some prefer to mix animal droppings with fertiliser because of high prices.
They use alternative means to nourish their produce thus reducing the patronage of fertiliser. A bag is sold at 300 cedis and sometimes I make losses because prices keep soaring every day.”
Some vegetable sellers are lamenting over the low number of vegetable farmers, in the Sekondi- Takoradi Metropolis which they believe is a contributing factor to the increase in prices of vegetables.
Fruit sellers also said patronage is slow.
“There’s low patronage of fruits. Boxes of red and green apples are 270 cedis and 250 cedis respectively. I sell my watermelon for 12 cedis, 5 fingers of banana for 2 cedis and 3 oranges for 2 cedis.”
Meanwhile, a cross-section of the public maintained that despite the increase in prices of fruits and vegetables, they do consume them as part of their diet.
” I make it a priority to include fruits and vegetables in my diet always because of its nutritional value. Regardless of the price, I still patronize it”
