Harriet Boateng Sarpong
Accra, Aug 11, GNA – Articulator trucks fully loaded with onions are stranded in Burkina Faso with traders calling for government’s intervention.
The about 37 trucks are said to have been stranded in Burkina Faso for almost two weeks waiting for escort by the Burkina Faso security into Ghana.
Some traders told the Ghana News Agency that the trucks, which had loaded from Niger through Benin to Ghana, decided to go through Burkina Faso following the closure of the Benin border.
“Because of the closure of the Benin border, most of our truck drivers thought if they go to Burkina Faso, they will get their soldiers to escort them to the Ghana border. Because of terrorist activities in the area, you need military escort, but it is over a week now and they are still stranded there. We are facing a lot of problems and losing our money,” a Spokesperson for the Patriotic Onion Sellers Association, Mr. Yakubu Akpeniba, told the GNA.
He said the situation was negatively impacting the price of onions in markets across the country.
“Because of the delay, there is shortage of onions on the market and prices have shot up. The big sack of onion that used to sell at GHS1100 is now selling between GHS1500 and GHS1600 and the small sack, which was selling at GHS300, is now at GHS500.”
Mr. Akpeniba added that: “Our onions are getting rotten, we bought the onions from Niger before the coup and we did not anticipate all these challenges so, government should help us by talking to the Burkina government to escort our trucks to Ghana, we are losing money.”
When the GNA visited the onion market at Adjen-Kotoku, sheds, usually filled with sacks of onions, were virtually empty.
Julia Asare, an onion seller from Koforidua Agogo, said the prices had gone up, hence she was unable to buy the quantity she wanted.
“Usually, I buy three to four sacks of onions, but because of the situation, I can only buy two bags and because the price has gone up, it will reduce the profit I usually make.”
Meanwhile, ECOWAS has resolved to deploy troops in Niger to restore democracy after the Junta seized power weeks ago.
The decision to deploy troops follows a directive to all member states to shut land and air borders with Niger.
GNA