[ 2021-02-08 ]

Tomato shortage imminent

Tomato shortage imminent as transporters and
importers begin indefinite strike over persistent
highway robbery

The strike which started over the weekend is due
to what they say is persistent robbery attacks on
them on the Kumasi-Bolgatanga-Burkina Faso route.

On Friday, members of the Ghana Transporters and
Tomato Traders Association grounded the trucks
ready for Burkina Faso for fresh tomatoes.

Two drivers have been killed, whilst more than ten
sustained several degrees of injuries in six
different attacks in January alone on the same
route.

The recent one was on Friday at Pwalugu where the
driver was shot and killed after the robbers made
away with their money.

According to them especially the truck drivers,
they are scared to ply the route because the
police are unable to protect them.

“Between Kintampo and Paga is where the attacks
often happen because there are too many speed
ramps on the roads. Before, they rob and allow you
to go but now they shoot you the driver first”,
one of the drivers explained.

Two weeks ago, the traders threaten to embark on
this strike when 22 year-old truck driver, Urmar
Salifu was killed on Tuesday, January 26, 2021, in
the North East Region.

The leadership say they have written petition
letters to the Inspector General of Police (IGP),
copied the Interior Ministry, the Agriculture
Ministry and Police Commanders in the Northern
Regions.

National Chairman for the association, Eric Osei
Tuffuor, is worried nothing seem to have been done
about the increasing robbery attacks.
National Chairman for the association, Eric Osei
Tuffuor

“Around 2am at Pwalugu, another driver was shot
dead and the others robbed off their money. We are
going to stop the vehicles, there won’t be any
tomatoes coming from Burkina to this country, if
our problem is solved before we can start
importing.”

According to him, “It is only the military
escorts that can protect and save our lives. If
not, we are not going to bring in tomatoes.”

Six months after December every year, the
importers are forced to import tomatoes from
Burkina Faso because there are no alternatives
locally.

“As I speak now, you cannot get even 10 boxes of
tomatoes from any farm gates within Ghana unless
Burkina Faso. So we import 70 trucks daily during
this period,” Mr Osei Tuffuor revealed.

“I therefore call all my drivers and traders to
go on strike, they must part their trucks and
there will be no tomatoes for Ghanaians until our
problems are solved by the appropriate leaders
within the country.”
Traders impounds truck at Kintampo

Meanwhile, the leadership had to stop and prevent
some traders that defied the strike directive on
Sunday at Kintampo. The traders were coming from
Burkina Faso with trucks of tomatoes.

Source - MyJoyonline

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