Ghana grows food in abundance, but the absence of good transportation systems leaves both producers and consumers paying higher prices.
Across yam-growing areas in the northern sector, the Bono and Ahafo areas and the Oti Region, farmers are recording bumper harvests, but prices remain relatively high, especially in urban areas.
The situation is largely blamed on poor transportation networks from the farm gates.
In the Oti Region, the harvests exceed demand in the local communities and are desperately itching for other market outlets.
In a post made by the national broadcaster, Ghana Television, citizens have once again started raising concerns over the country’s failure to build robust rail systems that link the north, middle belts and southern areas for cheaper transportation alternatives.
The post accompanied photos of heaps of newly harvested yams in a market.
“Ghana is not short of food. It is short of the systems needed to move, preserve and process it. Until that changes, bumper harvests will continue to coexist with rising food prices.”
Besides the renewed call for a railway system, construction of good feeder roads to the train stations also came strongly in the arguments to help address the transport problems holistically.
Citizens are also calling on the Ministry of Food and Agriculture to build state warehouses across every district for storage of excess food, saying it will ensure fair pricing and distribution.
Currently, a tuber of fresh yam in Accra costs between GHS70 and GHS90 for the bigger sizes, GHS40 to GHS60 for medium sizes and GHS25 to GHS35 for smaller sizes.
The situation is not different from other cities such as Takoradi, Tamale, Ho, Koforidua and Kumasi, among others.
Until the government, through the Ministry of Food and Agriculture and other stakeholders, prioritises investment in better road networks for agricultural produce transportation, food prices will continue to remain expensive for ordinary Ghanaians.
Photo source: GTV Ghana via Facebook
Reactions of Ghanaians in the screenshots below.
