Invest in Agriculture Infrastructure to Sustain Inflation Gains – Government Statistician Urges

Invest in Agriculture Infrastructure to Sustain Inflation Gains – Government Statistician Urges

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Government Statistician, Dr. Alhassan Iddrisu, has called for urgent and strategic investment in agricultural infrastructure to sustain Ghana’s recent decline in food inflation, which has helped push the country’s overall inflation rate into single digits for the first time in four years.

His call follows new data from the Ghana Statistical Service (GSS) indicating that inflation dropped to 9.4% in September, down from 11.5% in August. The decline was largely driven by easing food prices, as food inflation fell to 11%, compared to 14.8% the previous month.

Speaking on The Point of View on Channel One TV on Wednesday, October 8, Dr. Iddrisu underscored the need to strengthen irrigation systems, improve food storage facilities, and enhance transportation networks to stabilize food prices and minimize post-harvest losses.

“To lock in the progress we have seen in food inflation, especially for staples like yam, cassava, rice, and vegetables, we must invest in irrigation to enable year-round farming and reduce dependence on rainfall,” he said.

He also emphasized the urgent need to address challenges in food storage and distribution, noting that inadequate cold chain and dry storage systems continue to result in significant post-harvest losses for perishable produce such as tomatoes, onions, peppers, and okro.

Dr. Iddrisu further highlighted the importance of improving transport infrastructure to ensure efficient supply and distribution of food across the country.

“What we need to also do is to ensure that we invest in reliable transport networks,” he stressed, adding that sustained policy attention in these areas will be critical to maintaining Ghana’s inflation stability and food security.