Berekum: Tomato farmers flee over loans default, some threaten suicide as their produce rot for lack of buyers

Tomato farmers at Abansere in the Berekum West District are appealing to the government to intervene as large quantities of their produce continue to rot on their farms due to a lack of buyers.

The farmers say they are facing a dire situation, with many unable to recover the heavy costs they invested in cultivation because the market has virtually collapsed.

They questioned why the local tomato factory has failed to purchase their produce, despite earlier directives that they grow specific tomato varieties to supply the facility.

They are urging the government to create a ready market for their harvest and to support the “Feed Ghana” initiative by halting the importation of tomatoes from neighbouring countries at higher prices.

Chairman of the Berekum Tomato Farmers Association, Mr. Solomon Dwaase, said farmers have invested up to GHC80,000 in their farms, yet buyers are offering between GHC100 and GHC150 per box, a drastic fall from the GHC1,500 they previously received.

Another farmer, Mr. Frimpong George, reported that the harsh economic pressure has forced some farmers to flee the area to evade loan repayment. He added that a few have even threatened to take their own lives due to the mounting debt and loss.

The farmers are calling for urgent government intervention to ensure that their produce is purchased before the situation worsens.

A tomato buyer, Madam Ama Serwaa, explained that the current market situation has pushed prices down, leaving buyers with little to no profit margin.