Prices of groceries have skyrocketed in major market centres across the country, including the Agbogbloshie market located in the country’s capital city of Accra.

Preparing food is no walk in the park these days as people have to make significant readjustments and cut out excesses to meet demands.

Whilst some traders have attributed it to the increase in petroleum products, others have linked the price adjustment to the cost of transporting goods from the farm gates to the market centres.

A wholesale grocery producer, Nana Ama, has lamented the dangers and hardships they face when carting the items from the Goaso farms in the Ahafo Region to Accra and other cities for sale.

She says her profit has lately dwindled for over 30 years in the business as she has to haggle with retailers before earning any financial gain.

Although Ama enjoys her job, she stated that the high cost of transportation and the bumpy nature of the road are stealing her joy.

“Oh no, I won’t take GH¢15. The plantains are expensive; I buy them at a much higher price, I can’t sell them for less. So whenever we come to sell, we don’t get much because there are many competitors. Sometimes, the farmers think we cheat them, but that is not the case,” she stated.

Speaking on the Living Standard Series, a driver known as Martin explained that he is compelled to charge more when carting groceries because of rising fuel prices and the terrible state of roads.

Riding on his nickname, ‘Hu Me Mmobo’, which translates ‘have mercy on me’, he is hoping government will fix the roads in these regions.

“We have complained several times, but government has turned a deaf ear. I wish they would asphalt the roads for us; the roads are terrible, and many drivers are reckless.”

When they safely arrive in markets, they employ the services of young men to offload foodstuffs.

It is an intense energy-sapping activity, so it is carried out by young men who earn ¢20 clearing a significant portion of the goods.

So, if groceries are now expensive on the market, the reason is simple.

Rising fuel, terrible roads and charges from offloading boys drive up the price of foodstuff.