Goat And Sheep Sellers In Dorimon Seek Government Intervention

Goats and sheep sellers in Dorimon market on Tuesday expressed worry over various challenges impeding their business in the Upper West Region and called for government intervention to address the problems.

Dorimon is a town in the Wa West District with a well-structured market where buying and selling of goats and sheep is one of the lucrative businesses.

Mr Alawmini Dumba, a goat business entrepreneur, told the Ghana News Agency that when it got to the raining season, prices of the domestic animals decline, impacting negatively on their profit margins.

He said during that time farmers would not allow the animals to move freely to feed because the owners are compelled to tether and prevent them from destroying farm crops and so they lose weight.

'We do not also get buyers from other regions especially the southern part of the country, we only get buyers from Wa and other smaller towns, and because of that our expectations do not yield any good results,' he said.

'We do not also have comfortable place to do our business although we are inside the market, we conduct our trading under trees and this is not helpful when the rains set in, goats do not like cold and fall sick when the rains set in'.

Mr Alhasan Bamasah, another entrepreneur, described the goat and sheep business as very lucrative but many challenges are impeding its smooth operations.

'I started this job since 2008 till date and I've gained a lot from it. This is what I have been doing for survival - taking care of my family and paying my children school fees,' he said.

Mr Bamasah expressed disappointment that he and his colleagues would trek long distances to several villages to buy the animals but would not get buyers to buy in bulk when transported to the capital town, Wa.

'Only two buyers came from Wa today and this is not encouraging,' he said.

'If we can get more buyers from various regions, it will help improve the price and grow the business,' he said.

'We want the authorities to give us safe places to trade and also need financial support from government to expand the business in Dorimon market and nationwide'. GNA

By Chedar Charles, GNA