Living Standard Series: Fufu lovers feeling the pinch as prices of ingredients soar

Fufu, a local staple, is enjoyed by many households in Ghana, but the recent cost of ingredients is forcing many to pay more for the local delicacy.

Many lovers of fufu say it now costs them about ¢90 to prepare one at home or at least ¢10 to enjoy a bowl with meat.

‘Aponkye Akyi’ [goat skin] is a popular local food joint at Ejisu and is noted for its delicious fufu and goat soap – the place constantly buzzes with fufu lovers at about 10 am.

Kwame, a contractor, visits Aponkyi Akyi regularly for his favourite dish, fufu and light soup.

He used to buy the popular meal at a minimum of ¢20, but now he has to double the amount to be satisfied.

“I would normally take shots of alcohol as an appetizer. But I can’t anymore. The price of fufu is now forcing me to desert the appetizers. I now buy close to ¢30, but because I haven’t taken any alcohol, I cannot eat,” he said.

The joint food owner, Maa Fausty, says the minimum amount to pay for reasonably decent fufu with meat is ¢10.

“With ¢10, you will get fufu for ¢4 and meat, ¢6. If you want to be satisfied, you must buy more,” she said.

Fufu and soup is a popular food for many Ghanaians. Still, its preparation now comes at a considerable cost due to the rising cost of cassava, plantain, vegetables, meat and other ingredients.

Prices have almost doubled in the last few months.

Atta Maame has been selling cassava and plantain for almost two decades – according to her, she has to sacrifice some cassava tubers to cushion her customers.

“I sell cassava for ¢5. I sometimes add more to cushion my customers. The plantains are more expensive than cassava,” she said.

For meat and fish lovers, ¢50 will be the least amount to purchase the variety of animal protein for a saucepan of soup.

Francis, a butcher, says a pound of cow and goat meats are now pegged at ¢22 and ¢24, respectively.

“A pound of meat used to sell at ¢18, but now it’s ¢22. And that’s not attracting people to buy. I have meat leftovers from yesterday. You can spend about ¢80 on just meat before you buy the rest of the ingredients,” he said.

That is just the cost for red meat lovers. You will have to meet additional costs to enjoy some smoked and frozen fish.

A smoked meat vendor, Jamila Asantuah, said, “I used to sell cow knee at ¢10 but now sell between ¢18 and ¢25.”

“Previously, you could get larger salmon at ¢10, but now the smallest is what you’ll get,” Maa Serwaa of Bisa Nyame Cold Store said.

The price of perishable food items like pepper, tomato and onions has also doubled.

“I used to buy a basket of onions at ¢300, but it’s now ¢550. A bowl of pepper used to sell at ¢70, but just yesterday, I bought it at ¢140,” a trader at the Ejisu pepper market, Yaa Anoma, said.

Elizabeth usually fed her family of six with ¢50, but now she needs more than ¢90 to buy foodstuffs to prepare fufu and soup.

“I used to prepare fufu with only ¢50, but now I have to pay close to ¢90. I used to buy pepper at ¢1, but now I have to increase it to about ¢1.50.

Perhaps you may need more to keep enjoying your favourite fufu as prices of goods soar.

Source: Ghana News