Correspondence from Upper East Region

Recently, the cost of a bowl of local rice in Bolga in the Upper Upper East Region has rapidly shot up to GH¢30. The same quantity of rice was sold at GH¢20 just a few months ago.

Many have attributed the hike in price to the extinction of the US-based polished rice which has been extinct on the market for the past five months.

This brand of rice has always been a hot cake among buyers because according to many consumers, it does not stick together when cooked.

They are blaming the situation on the fact that consumers of the US-based polished rice were now drifting to the local rice, as they do not have any other alternative.

This they said, has increased the demand for the locally grown rice, thereby leading to price increase.

They spoke to GhanaWeb's Upper East Regional correspondent, regarding the matter.

Madam Lamisi noted that the US brand of polished rice had been missing on the market for the past five months.

She explained that the development was due to the depreciation of the Ghana cedi.

She noted that their suppliers in Burkina Faso explained that they could no longer supply due to the depreciation fn the cedi; they felt they would not be able to afford anymore.

"They said the (CFA Franc) is high so when they buy and bring, we cannot buy. We too, we don't have the (CFA Franc) so that we can use it to buy," she stated.

Madam Lamisi, intimated that many customers initially kept asking of that brand for a long time, and subsequently got used to the local rice and other brands.

"At first, they used to ask of the US one, but when they noticed that it was no longer there, they started buying the other types and they are beginning to like them," she said.

She however indicated that business moved faster when the USA brand was available.

A rice seller madam Mary, indicated that when the US rice was on the market, the affluent customers purchased that, whiles the poor purchased the locally grown rice.

"When that polished rice was there, the rich people were buying that one, while the poor were buying the local rice," she said.

She expressed worry that the current hike in the cost of locally grown rice was at the disadvantage of the poor.

"Now that the price of the local rice has gone up here, the poor people are suffering because it is not easy for them to buy. It is very difficult for them now," she lamented.

Another seller Madam Lizzy, rather wondered why people liked the USA brand of rice. According to her, there are other brands of rice that are equally good.

"I don't know why people do not want to try the other types of rice. Look at this brand of rice, it is equally very good and even better in taste. Just try it and see, you will come back for more," she said.

"l don't know whether it is because it has a very bright colour, l don't know why people like it like that. When it even got finished, people were putting other rice in the US sacks and selling and they were buying because they know if it is that one they will buy," she revealed.

"Sometime ago, a man went to a store and bought a bag of rice in a US rice sack. When he got home, he realized that it was a different kind of rice and he quickly sent it back," she recalled.

She however noted that many people have now embraced the local rice, as they have noticed that is good.