Manufacturers of sachet-water packaging initially planned to review their prices due to rising costs of polymers used in producing sachet-water packaging materials, but have decided to maintain current prices for at least the next one to two months despite financial pressure.
President-Ghana Plastic Manufacturers’ Association Ebbo Botwe held a press conference in Accra on Wednesday, April 8, 2026 to explain the position of sachet-water manufacturers and the apparent loss they incur.
Consequently, the association has appealed for government to provide the industry with relief support . They maintain that had it not been for the Minister of Trade, Agribusiness and Industry’s intervention, the association would have resorted to increasing the price to cover costs.
The International Monetary Fund (IMF) has warned that the Middle East conflict has generated the most severe disruption to global oil markets ever recorded, with cascading effects on inflation, food security and economic growth that will fall hardest on the world’s most vulnerable economies.
The conflict is reshaping global supply chains in ways that extend well beyond oil. Around a third of global seaborne methanol trade also passes through the Strait of Hormuz, with disruption tightening the supply of a key chemical feedstock for resins, coatings and plastics – creating knock-on effects across chemical value chains.
With shipments of fertiliser – of which about one-third passes through the Strait of Hormuz – disrupted, concerns about food prices are mounting. The interruption of crop-nutrient supplies from the Gulf comes just as planting season begins, threatening yields and harvests through the year and pushing food prices higher.
People in low-income countries are most at risk when prices rise because food accounts for about 36 percent of consumption on average, compared with 20 percent in emerging market economies and 9 percent in advanced economies.
The Strait of Hormuz crisis is disrupting key non-oil commodities including methanol, aluminium, sulfur and graphite, impacting global manufacturing and the green energy transition.
The Gulf is also a major supplier of helium, a critical input for semiconductor production and medical equipment.
While the war could shape the global economy through different channels, all roads lead to higher prices and slower growth – with the duration and scope of the conflict and extent of infrastructure damage being key determinants of the ultimate impact.
The IMF and World Bank Spring Meetings in Washington, scheduled for April 14, should unravel the true extent of its impact.
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