Agri Business

Drivers in Upper Manya Urge Government to Prioritize Road Construction of Farming Communities in the District

Drivers plying roads of most farming communities in the Upper Manya Krobo district are at their wits end from bad roads.

The farmers who ply most roads linking the farming communities to the market centers have explained that the poor nature of the roads is affecting their businesses.

The poor nature of roads leading to many farming districts and communities in the country has to a large extent contributed to post-harvest losses often experienced, every year.

The development leads to the loss of many perishable farm produce being transported to market centers and other parts of the country.

The government has already said it is going to address the issue of agric roads that continue to affect food production. In its 2018 budget, the sector was allocated about GH¢700 million, as part of the Agricultural Marshall Plan, which is expected to significantly revamp the agric sector.

The amount is to be invested in agricultural transformation programmes, construct and refurbish roads linking farms to urban centers and provide storage facilities for farm produce.

Asesewa remains popularly particularly for its market which is one of the biggest in the Eastern region.

The market gets most of its farm produce from a host of farming communities in the district but drivers are livid about the poor nature of the roads.

Some of the affected communities include Ahabaso, Sawa, Dawa Zutsum, Sekesua Wayo, Obosi, Border, Abordonya, Baah Dawa, Brepong Upper, Apirede, Akotoklo, Gua, Dawa Juanya, etc.

“Poor road networks remains our biggest challenge over the years,” one distraught driver told rite news in an interview.

The drivers who travel to Asesewa from the farming communities expressed regret over the havoc being caused by the roads to them and their vehicles, adding that they spend huge sums of monies on vehicle maintenance of their vehicles.

As Friday remains Asesewa’s traditional market day, many people from all over, both far and near travel to Asesewa to engage in various trading activities.

The roads connecting the farming communities from where various farm produce are brought remains the biggest threat to the farmers who suffer various post-harvest losses, especially during the rainy season when the season is at its worst.

“The situation is worse during the rainy season when we find it very difficult to reach the farming communities due to deplorable nature of the roads during those times,” another distraught driver complained bitterly.

The foodstuffs cannot get to the market when drivers decide not to go the farms to get it to the market, another affected driver noted.

The drivers say despite persistent complaints to the authorities at the Upper Manya Krobo District Assembly to revamp the roads, not much has been done in this regard.

“We the drivers at Asesewa and its surrounding areas are strongly appealing to the government and the authorities to immediately institute immediate measures to repair the roads to enhance our operations of transporting farm produce and other goods to the markets,” they appealed.

Repairing the deplorable roads is expected to enable it to lead the effort towards economic transformation.

The major mode of movement of goods within most farming communities in the Upper Manya district is by road transportation which facilitates inter and intra-regional movement of passengers and goods to traditional markets.

Traditional markets are trade arrangements in rural commodities where both agricultural and manufactured goods are assembled for sale.

Any economic and social wellbeing depends largely on the performance of its transportation service system.

Source: Rita Nkansah/www.ritefmonline.org/rnkansah12@gmail.com

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