Business News of Saturday, 1 December 2007

Source: GNA

Sachet water sellers ignorant of price hike

Accra, Dec. 01, GNA - The announcement by the Union of Sachet Water Producers (USWAP) for an additional one Ghana pesewa on the sale of every sachet water for the collection of plastic waste has not gone down well with its sellers since most of them do not know what the money would be used for.

In an interview with the GNA, most of the sellers at the Central Business District were not even aware of the announcement and those who appeared to have knowledge about it said whenever they tried to sell the water at five Ghana pesewas, the buyers complained and most of the time, refused to buy.

"Whenever I tell them that a sachet cost 5 pesewas, the buyers immediately protest and tell me to go away and that he would get one to buy at four pesewas," said Beatrice Chani, sachet water seller. Janet Sackey, a sachet water seller who expressed knowledge about announcement appealed to all the sachet water producers associations to intensify the education on the price hike since and the reasons most of them do not know what the money would be used for. Some of the sellers were even selling a sachet of water at three pesewas, as they were not aware that they were supposed to sell it at four pesewas.

While some of the people the GNA spoke to had no idea about the price hike, those who had heard of the announcement too totally disagreed

with the it since to them, it was the responsibility of the AMA to rid the city of filth and not the citizenry since they pay taxes. "I pay tax on everything that I sell and some of the money go to the AMA for the maintenance of the city and so I don't see why pay an extra money on anything that I buy for the maintenance of the city", said Grace Nortey, a fish seller.