Available information from the Ghana Statistical Service indicates that prices of foodstuffs have risen sharply between December last year and January this year. The report follows sampled market prices of foodstuffs from about forty-two markets across the country comprising of eighty-one different foodstuffs. The increment has been attributed to the rise in inflation figures in petroleum and diesel prices by 30 per cent in January by the government and the National Petroleum Authority. Inflation rose from 8.58 per cent in December last year to 9.08 per cent in January this year. This, economic analyst said, had virtually affected everything in the country including the living standards of the ordinary Ghanaian, ranging from transport fares to prices of food. Speaking in an interview with Adom Business Report on Monday February 28th 2011, the Director at the Economic and Statistics Division of the Ghana Statistical Service, Mr. Magnus Ebo Duncan confirmed that some prices of food items have gone up. This is according to the consumer price index. Mr. Duncan said corn dough went up by 6.7 per cent, imported rice went up by 5.3per cent, local rice went up by 4.7 per cent, maize went up by 2.3 per cent; all compared by figures in December last year to January this year. Prices of meat and fish was also not left out. Imported chicken went up by 7.6 per cent whilst cow meat went up by 1.4 per cent. Dried fish (amane) went up by 1.5 per cent, whilst fresh smoked fish (kpanla) went up 1 per cent. Eggs went up slightly by 0.7 per cent and powdered milk went up slightly. In the oil and fat category, palm Oil went up by 1.9 per cent whiles palm kernel oil also went up 1 per cent. Palm kernel went up by 7 per cent, pineapple 5.5 per cent and orange went up by 2 per cent. In vegetable and tubers category, cassava rose up by 8.3 per cent, cocoyam rose by 2.4 per cent, plantain went up by 3.7 per cent, yam went up by 1.7 per cent, cassava dough rose to 4.3 per cent and gari went up 2.5 per cent. Prices of tomatoes went up by 1.3 per cent in January compared to December last year. All the above mentioned prices are figures compared between December and January this year. Story by Afia Akyere/Adom Business News