Berekum producers defy Gov’t over sachet water prices
Sachet water producers in the Berekum Municipality have gone ahead with price increases despite a government directive calling for a temporary halt on adjustments, citing mounting production costs that they say leave them with no viable alternative.
A market survey by the Ghana News Agency revealed that wholesale prices in the Bono Region municipality have jumped from GH₵6 to GH₵8 per bag, with retailers now selling at GH₵9, up from the previous GH₵7.
Kingsford Acquah, General Secretary of the Berekum East Sachet Water Association, made no apologies for the decision, framing it as a matter of business survival. “Though the government has requested a temporary freeze on price adjustments on sachet water for some negotiations, we have to do the increment to meet production cost,” he told the GNA.
Acquah pointed to a confluence of pressures squeezing producers, soaring raw material costs, high electricity and utility bills, steep regulatory fees, rising packaging expenses, and increasing labour and distribution costs. Taken together, he argued, absorbing these without adjusting prices would inevitably drive producers out of business.
His message to government was equally direct. “If the government wants us to stop the increase, then they must also intervene to reduce the prices of our raw materials in the market. Without that there isn’t any way our producers are going to decrease the prices,” he said.
Acquah also appealed to consumers to understand the difficult position producers find themselves in, while issuing a clear warning that the new prices are here to stay until conditions change. “Until the cost of doing the sachet water business is significantly reduced, the current rates will be in force to ensure the sustainability of our businesses in the Municipality,” he stated.
The defiance puts the Berekum producers on a collision course with government, and raises questions about how authorities intend to enforce the freeze, or whether meaningful relief for producers will need to come first.
Source: myjoyonline.com
About The Author
