The sharp increase comes despite a moderation in overall food inflation, which eased marginally to 3.0% in August from 3.1% in July.
Presenting the August Consumer Price Index, Government Statistician, Dr. Alhassan Iddrisu, said the significant increase in fresh tomato prices highlights the varying price experiences of consumers across different commodities.
“Fresh Tomatoes more than doubled in price (+158.3%) while Lime fell 33.7%: the overall Y-on-Y inflation of 5.0% hides very different experiences at the market”, he noted.
The GSS data show that fresh tomatoes recorded the highest year-on-year price increase among the commodities tracked in August, followed by ginger, whose price increased by 128.3%.
Shrimps recorded a 67.1% increase, mango prices rose by 57.7%, while fresh coconut and fresh green pepper increased by 38.0% and 30.5%, respectively.
The sharp rise in tomato prices contrasts with declines recorded in the prices of several other food commodities.
Lime recorded the biggest decline, falling by 33.7%, while maize prices dropped by 31.3%.
Cocoyam leaves, sweet apples, fried fish and pawpaw also recorded notable price reductions.
Despite the mixed movements, the GSS says food prices generally fell by 2.5% month-on-month in August.
Economics
Dr. Iddrisu explained that inflation measures the rate at which prices change rather than the absolute price level of individual goods.
“Inflation measures how fast prices in general are rising or falling, not how high they already are”, he added.
Overall year-on-year inflation increased to 5.0% in August from 4.6% in July, but remained substantially below the 11.5% recorded in August 2025.
Non-food inflation was the main driver, rising to 6.8%, compared with food inflation of 3.0%.
The GSS says non-food items accounted for 70.9% of total inflation, while food contributed 29.1%.
Services also remained a major source of price pressure, recording inflation of 8.6%, compared with 3.8% for goods.
According to the GSS, locally produced goods and services accounted for 86.2% of total inflation, while imported items recorded inflation of 2.2%.
