The government has moved to ease concerns over a potential rise in the price of fugu following the decision to dedicate Wednesdays to wearing the traditional fabric — a policy expected to boost demand.

The assurance came from the Minister for Trade, Agribusiness and Industry, Elizabeth Ofosu-Adjare, during a meeting with the Smock Weavers’ Association at the ministry, where discussions focused on scaling up production to meet anticipated demand.

“Everybody knows that I am averse to price increments. So if I am facilitating it for you, anything I facilitate already is tantamount to a price reduction. There is nothing like a price increase at all because I am going to assist them and I want to see that at the end of the day the prices are good,” the minister said.

She expressed support for the Wednesday fugu-wearing policy and encouraged Ghanaians to patronise the fabric, highlighting measures being implemented to strengthen the industry.

“As the Ministry of Trade, Agribusiness and Industry, it is our responsibility to support made-in-Ghana production. We must ensure trade is thriving and industry grows. The fugu industry needs to thrive. As we are going to wear fugu every Wednesday, we need to make it available on the market.

"Today, we invited weavers from across the country, especially from the northern region, to discuss how we can help upscale production so that fugu will be readily available,” she added.

The ministry’s initiative aims to boost local production while keeping prices stable for consumers as demand rises.