Thousands of tons of ripped tomatoes are rotting by the roadside and in the farms at Tuobodom in the Brong Ahafo Region as buyers bypass the town and travel all the way to Burkina Faso to buy the commodity.
Tuobodom, the Techiman North District capital, is a known tomatoes growing area, but farmers over the years, have suffered post-harvest losses which is killing the business, hence calling on buyers to come to their aid.Â
The Chairman of the Federation of Tomatoes Growers Association Ghana, Baffour Afrifa speaking Prime News Ghana said, it is very pathetic that, loads of tomato trucks returned from Ouagadougou in Burkina Faso through Tuobodom, while several tons of ready tomatoes available in Techiman North without purchase.
He therefore called on government to intervene in the situation as monies they borrowed from the banks and that from the government for the tomato farms are going waste.
The Techiman North District Chief Executive, Peter Mensah, added his voice to the plea of the tomatoes farmers for buyers to come to his district to buy because government through the “planting for food and jobs†programme, has supported farmers to produce quality tomatoes.
He said if buyers do not come to purchase their produce, it will make the effort of the government and the farmers in vain.
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