MOFA, Interior Ministry To Collaborate To Make Tomato Trade Safe
The Minister of Food and Agriculture (MOFA) Dr. Owusu-Afriyie Akoto, is to engage his counterpart at the Interior Ministry to find a lasting solution to the recent spate of highway robberies targeted at cross border tomato traders.
Mr Rilwan Issah Alhassan, who made the disclosure in an interview with Obaa Adwoa Nelson Aweh on Wontumi Radio said officials at MOFA are disturbed by the reports of several robbery cases some of which have claimed innocent lives.
The news of highway robbery attacks on tomato traders crossing over to Burkina Faso’s capital of Ouagadougou has been rife in the media lately with some traders recounting harrowing stories of some of their colleagues being killed in the process.
One of the traders who narrated her ordeal said a colleague and three truck drivers have become victims of the frequent attacks on both the Kintampo through Buipe to Tamale route and the Tamale-Bolga stretch through Navrongo to Ouagadougou .
The growing insecurity has compelled some of the traders to even suspend their activities as a form of protest and cautioned that unless military personnel are deployed to offer security along the deadly route to Burkina Faso they will not resume their trade.
On efforts by the Ministry to promote local production of tomatoes, Mr Issah Alhassan said the government has initiated a number of projects to make Ghana self-sustaining but was quick to add that, “the traders have every right to extend their business to neighbouring countries without any interference.”
“It is in view of this that the government will continue to collaborate with key stakeholders to create an enabling environment to boost the tomato trade which extends to Burkina Faso, a major tomato growing area in the West African sub-region.” He said.