Post-harvest losses have been a regular feature in Ghana’s agricultural sector. Every year, millions of agricultural produce while away due, largely, to inaccessible roads. This situation is no different to farmers at Towkrom in the Eastern Region. These farmers have to grapple with the perennial ordeal of seeing their farm produce go bad as a result bad road network.
A visit by Agric Today reporters to Towkrom revealed the deplorable nature of the road. The road has deteriorated from Nsawam Adoagyiri near St. Martins Senior High School to Towkrom, a situation which makes it difficult for farmers to reach the markets with their farm produce.
According to Kwabena Nsiah, a farmer, after every harvest he practically carries on the head the cocoa beans and other food items all the way from the farm to his house due to the bad nature of road and the consequent declination of drivers to offer their services for fear of damaging their vehicles.
Nana Amakye, a Pawpaw and coconut farmer at Marfokrom decried how he lost a lucrative contract with Blue Skies Company due to the inaccessibility of the road leading to the village. ‘My contract with Blue Skies Company was terminated due to the bad nature of the road. The company complained that anytime they come to my farm to convey the produce they had to send the vehicle for servicing which was costing them so the contract was abrogated’ He cried.
The farmers also complained about their inability to have access to government interventions such as fertilizers, seeds and other supports. They are therefore appealing to government to, as matter of urgency, come to their aid as their investments continue to go down the drain.
On the issue, the Assemblyman of the area, Hon Paul Yevonu, said he has written several letters of complaint to the DCE but no results have been realised yet. ‘I have written several letters of complaint to Hon. Florence Govina, the District Chief Executive but I have not had any positive responds from her’, he said.
Yevonu added that there is an excavator on the road working from Nsawam Adoagyiri to Towkrom but on our visit there was no excavator working on the road. The enquiries made revealed that in June 2018, there was an excavator on that stretch but no work was done on the road.
Source: Priscilla Ahovi/agrictoday.com.gh
