The reviewed prices, according to the group, have been necessitated by the rising cost of inputs such as fuel and packaging materials, which are mainly imported and produced from petroleum sources.

A statement signed and issued in Accra yesterday by Magnus Nunoo, President of NASPAWAP, said the new prices would take effect from April 1 this year. 

“It is recommended that ice bottled water 500ml be retailed at GH¢2.00, 750ml or medium size be retailed at GH¢2.50 and 1.5L bottled water retailed at GH¢3.50.

Iced sachet water remains unchanged at GH¢0.40. A bag of sachet water, 500ml by 30pcs, will now sell at GH¢6.00 maximum from the retail trucks. Mini shops will now retail a bag of sachet water at GH¢8.00 per bag maximum,” the statement noted.

It said the reviewed prices were to serve as a guide to all regional associations and to ensure uniformity across the country.  

The statement cautioned that there might be slight variations in prices across the regions due to haulage to remote and distant areas.

Explaining the upward review of prices, it stated that fuel, which forms a major cost of distributing the products to the market centres, had significantly gone up since the last review.

“It was GH¢6.50 per litre and now it is above GH¢11 per litre, which is averaging 69.2 per cent change since January 1 this year when the old prices were implemented,” the statement added.

It called on the government and its agencies to take a second look at the many fees and taxes on the packaged water industry.