There is currently a vast hike in the price of beans in Bolgatanga, in the Upper East Region. A bowl of beans, which was sold at 15 cedis barely three months ago, is now sold at GHC22.
Three varieties of beans are sold on the Bolgatanga market; there are the Binaaba beans from Bawku, the Yelwongo beans from Burkina Faso, and another type that is generally grown by all. The Binaaba beans are totally out of stock at the moment.
The situation has been attributed to excessive rains that impeded the production of beans last year.
GhanaWeb's Upper East Regional Correspondent, Sarah Dubure, hit the Bolgatanga market and engaged some beans sellers to find out more about the situation.
A beans seller, Madam Asibi, said she got her supplies from Binaaba in Bawku, and Yelwongo in Burkina Faso. She noted that both places did not get a good yield of the legume this year, hence the development.
"The people of Binaaba and Yelwongo always bring the beans to us to sell. This year, they didn't get beans because of the intensity with which the rain fell," She noted.
She observed that just three months ago, a bowl of beans was sold at 15 cedis. It then rose to 17cedis, to 20 cedis, and currently 24 cedis.
She explained with worry that the situation had stagnated businesses because they were not making many sales. She added that they had no choice but to continue in the business so that they would not lose their customers and potential ones.
A beans seller, who also sells rice, Madam Grace said the situation was very bad as she had not sold anything as of the time of the interview.
She added that sales had become stagnant, but she was not ready to stop the business, as she stood the risk of losing her customers anytime the beans came in a full season.
"Business is not good at all, l haven't sold anything today. Even if you are able to sell something you don't make a profit because we buy the beans at an expensive price. I can't stop the business because if a customer comes and doesn't get beans to buy, the next time, she will go somewhere else. I don't want to lose my customers to others," She said.
A 'yorkor gari' ( Gari and beans) seller, Madam Portia Aniah, noted that she bought a sack or bag of beans for her business at a cost of 350 cedis just three months ago, which now went to 600 cedis.
She complained that she could no longer afford it, and had to resort to buying them in bowls for the time being.
Madam Helen who cultivated the crop for domestic consumption noted that she and her household harvested three basins of beans in previous years, but had merely a basin last year.
She explained that their farm became waterlogged, which made the beans turn yellow.
She also noted that immediately the leaves began to sprout, the excessive rain washed a lot of them off, which affected the production of the beans.
The hike in price has been attributed to excessive rains