Tons Of Tomatoes Rotting Away In Ziope District

Even before the bumper harvest could begin, some tomato farmers in Agortime-Zoipe Districts of the Volta region are crying and counting their losses over lack of buyers, as greater bumper of their produce rots away.

The farmers who are grappling with post-harvest losses told The Anchor, the development is forcing them to sell the tomatoes at cheaper prices, despite the energy and resources sunk into the cultivation.

According to them, a full box of tomatoes is currently being sold at GH₵150 and in some instances, as low as, GH₵100, depending on where the buyers are coming from and the condition of the tomatoes at the time of selling.

They disclosed that, even though the bumper harvest has just begun, the prices the buyers are quoting at current period, is nothing to write home about, and heartbreaking, in spite of their sweats and general input.

They lamented that, unlike in the past where buyers come with big cargo vehicles from far places like Togo, Kumasi, Accra, among other destinations in their numbers to buy; the situation is no longer the same, as they now had to beg the few who come around to do business.

In some instances, they mentioned that they had to display the tomatoes at road-side of the main Ho – Aflao highways and be begging commuters to stop and buy for them.

Mr. Gati, one of the farmers at a community near Ziope township told The Anchor the issue has become a perennial problem for them, almost every year without any effort by their leaders for solution.

He attributed the low patronage to the bumper harvest by farmers in Ada and those in Keta, as well as,Anlo area, which has coincided with their own. This, he said made it impossible for buyers to travel all the way to Ziope, and therefore, rather would buy from their competitors at Ada areas, instead.

He also mentioned the closure of Togo and Benin borders which is preventing free movement of the purchasers to come to their aide.

Gati said, considering the amount of money pumped into the cultivation which includes; regular spraying of the tomatoes with insecticides, cost of fertilizer and weeding is causing them headache.

In the cases of Madam Veronica, she stated that some of them have gone for loans to do the farming business and the lack of buyers is giving them sleepless night.

She suggested that, government come to their aide with a factory that can process their produce in times like this, to prevent the wastage.

“Yes, we need a factory. If there is a machine that can process the tomatoes for storage, all these tomatoes that are getting wasted here would have been preserved. Government should intervene and help us,” Veronica pleaded.

This comes on the heels of similar development in the Eastern region, where buyers are reportedly refusing to go to the hinter lands to buy the tomatoes as a result poor roads network.

Starr FM’s Eastern Regional correspondent, Kojo Ansah reports that, despite inadequate tomatoes in major markets in the cities, tomato farmers in Chinto, Yaayaso, Abodobi and its surrounding villages in Fanteakwa South District are grappling with high post-harvest losses due to extremely bad roads.

June and July are major harvesting months for the tomato farmers in Chinto, Yaayaso, Abodobi and its surrounding villages.

However, the road to the communities becomes immotorable whenever it rains. Farmers had to hire tricycles to transport the harvested tomatoes to the Obuoho community which is about 14 kilometres away to meet buyers reluctant to come to the community.

Farmers sell a basket of tomatoes for GH₵80 to the buyers.

The farmers are worried about the poor state of their roads and lack of electricity in the community which are discouraging the youth to go into agriculture.

“We are farmers here but our road is very terrible. We don’t have electricity too. The only thing politicians bring to us here is the ballot boxes. We farm tomatoes here but because of the road only a few traders come here, sadly they buy the tomatoes at a cheaper price,” a farmer told Starr News.

Another farmer narrated that “Whenever it rains, no car comes here because the road is deplorable so the tomatoes get rotten on the farms. When it happens like that we have to hire a tricycle to transport the tomatoes to meet buyers in the next community which is about 14km before they buy our tomatoes.

The government has been encouraging the youth to go into farming, but look at our condition here. Our road is bad, no electricity here. If you farm then it gets rotten because vehicles are unable to farm. Very soon we will all migrate to cities,” the farmer lamented

Ransford Amanor, a mini Truck driver said because of the poor roads, drivers are reluctant to come to the community. He and few drivers who brace all odds to drive to the communities charge exorbitant fares.

“The road is terrible for us drivers. whenever it rains no vehicles are able to come here for days because if you try you will get stuck for two days. No fuel too…so whenever we make it here we charge Gch 50 per box of tomato to Begoro then those from Begoro to Accra a charge of Ghc60 cedis. Meanwhile, they buy from the farmers Ghc80 cedis so obviously when the trader gets to Accra she will sell it at a high price that is why food prices are high in the cities so let the president be aware,” Said Ransford Amanor a truck driver.

A tomato trader said deplorable road in the communities deters many traders from buying from the farmers.

“The deplorable state of the road is a great worry to us the traders. As you can see, it is about to rain so we have abandoned the farmers because the driver is afraid of getting stuck. We are going to the next community to wait for them to bring the tomatoes with the tricycle,” a trader who identified himself only as Mama, lamented to Starr News.

The Assembly Member for Abodobi Electoral Area, Samuel Kpartey said, he has written several letters to the Fanteakwa South District Assembly for the road to be rehabilitated but to no avail.

He said due to the poor state of roads teachers mostly do not accept posting to the community. The few ones who accept posting always come to school late due to lack of transportation.

During a recent tour in parts of the Eastern Region, the Minister for Food and Agriculture Dr Owusu Afriyie Akoto debunked claims of food shortage in the country.

He said evidence on the grounds and data presented by the various regional agricultural directorates point to the availability of enough food in the country therefore any claim of food shortage and famine in the coming next year are mere speculations.

Dr Owusu Afriyie Akoto, however, said the high food inflation is not a result of rising fuel prices, high cost of agrochemicals and other external factors including Russia’s invasion of Ukraine which has affected the importation of some staples.

According to the World Bank, Ghana losses $700,000 annually on post-harvest losses.

The World Bank report also estimates that the value of PHL in Sub-Saharan Africa could potentially reach nearly US$4 billion a year out of an estimated annual value of grain production of US$27 billion.

Source: Anchorghana