It has been suggested that next week, coffin and casket makers in Kumasi, Ghana’s Ashanti region, would begin charging more for their products.
Producers have said that they would need to increase their pricing because of the rising cost of raw materials such as fillings, nails, wood, saws, and textiles used to line coffins.
Bakery owners are feeling the pinch as the cost of staple ingredients like flour and cooking oil rises.
The coffin makers complained about the exorbitant cost of raw materials when Joy News visited their workshop in Asafo, a suburb of Kumasi.
They said that the rising cost of manufacture necessitates a rise in casket pricing if the company is to continue operating profitably.
Most local companies are on the verge of failure due to the growing cost of living and the rising cost of gasoline and utilities.
Coffin manufacturer Agya Appiah, who has been in the business for almost 30 years, told Joy News that he must raise costs.
“I was an apprentice in 1992, but now I run my own business. The fabric we use to decorate the casket I bought for ¢200 on Friday, I was told today to pay ¢240. I couldn’t buy it, so I had to come home to solicit the remaining amount.
“Things are expensive, I would also not sell them [caskets] at a reduced price. All manufacturers here have come to a consensus to increase and stick to one price, latest by next week,” he stated.
“This casket is called ‘Abenwaha’, with a price range of ¢1,500 to ¢2,000. But now, If I don’t sell it at ¢2,800, I may not be able to accrue my profit,” he added.
Kwame Malvin, who has been in the business for 3 years, also says patrons are complaining about the new prices.
“Our work has been affected. I used to buy this filler at ¢80, currently, I buy it at ¢230. I used to finish two coffins a day. Buyers keep complaining because we scare them with the pricing.
“Starting next week, the prices of coffins will increase. The ¢1,000-priced coffins will be sold at ¢1,500. The ¢800-priced coffins would be sold at ¢1000,” he told Joy News.
President Nana Akufo-Addo has been urged to take swift action to stabilize the shaky Ghanaian economy by Ken Thompson, CEO of Dalex Finance, who has warned of impending misery if the present administration does not change course.
While kneeling down on live TV during a programme on Accra-based Citi TV on Tuesday, 1 November 2022, Mr Thompson pleaded: “His Excellency, Nana Addo Dankwa, what I can see coming is not good. If you are watching, what I can see coming is not good”.
“I can see poverty, I can see job losses, I can see business closures, I can see price of electricity going up”, he noted.
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