Both tomato traders and their customers at the Bolgatanga central market have lamented bitterly over the high cost of the commodity in recent times.
The tomatoes are transported from Techiman in the Bono East Region of Ghana to the Bolgatanga market and sold between Ghc1,500.00to Ghc3,000.00 per box depending the size of the box. This due to the commodity’s scarcity in Ouagadougou, Burkina Faso where they used to be transported from.
Both traders and their customers who spoke in an exclusive A1 News stated that the situation this year is completely different as compared to previous years.
According to the market women, they believe it is as a result of low productivity from the various farms. “Now they bring it from Techiman and the price is very high. This small box for Ghc. 1,500.00 this morning. If you are to sell, it is always difficult, but people who go there and bring it will say that the tomatoes are not there. We think maybe the framers did not produce more. But this year is just different because last year was better so it is not easy for us,” A tomato trader, Madam Adukopoke Ayine, told A1 News’ David Azure.
Abigail Ayinbila another trader said “this morning I bought a big box Ghc. 3,000.00 and if you tell them to reduce they don’t want to reduce. Now there are no tomatoes in Ouaga so this one is from Tachman and they said it is expensive over there so it is a problem for us.
A regular tomato customer who gave her name as Hajia, told A1 News that the cost of tomatoes in recent times in the market is a cause for worry. “I now spend three times I used to buy tomatoes because of the high cost of the commodity is really a problem for us,” she said
Meanwhile, Emmanuel Wullingdool, an Agriculture Policy Consultant who was contacted about the issue on News Link attributed the high cost of the commodity to policy failure by the government.
Source: A1Radioonline.Com|101.1MHZ|David Azure |Bolgatanga|
