Cassava traders at Asenema market in the Okere District of the Eastern Region have expressed concerns about increase in prices of cassava products.
Madam Monica Yaa Loga, a trader, highlighted the reasons behind the high cost of cassava-related products such as cassava tubers, cassava dough, and gari during and after the harmattan season in an interview with the Ghana News Agency.
She mentioned factors such as increasing labour costs, bad road infrastructure leading from farming lands to market centres, and the rising costs of cassava processing.
According to her, labour costs have gone up from GHS150.00 to GHS250.00 per acre, a difference of GHS100.00, representing a 10 per cent increase, leading to many traders running at a huge loss.
She said that a bag of cassava dough and gari used to cost GHS150 during the rainy season, are now GHS200 and GHS250, which she said was problematic.
She noted that due to the challenges in cassava product production, labourers and other services most often incur losses because of low customer demand, while other traders struggle to break even.
She appealed to the Okere District Agriculture Department of the Ministry of Food and Agriculture for assistance in the form of tricycles, farming equipment, and farm roads repair to boost cassava production.
Meanwhile, individuals peeling cassava in the communities have also raised concerns about receiving low payments for their work, as cassava dealers only pay GHS8.00 per bowl.
Mr Eric Ahiadogbe, a labourer, pointed out the difficulties of harvesting cassava during the dry season, causing workers to avoid working for cassava dealers and leading to increased charges.
Okere District is renowned for its abundant cassava production along with other crops like plantains, cocoyam, pepper, okra, ‘Ademe’, and ‘Gboma’.
GNA
DL/AD
March 07, 2024
