SUNYANI FOODSTUFF market, popularly known as ‘Wednesday Market’ or ‘Abrodzom’ (maize market), is facing an erosion problem which is affecting market activities.
Road networks leading to and around the various markets have been marred by gullies created by erosion. As a result, cargoes with foodstuffs from the hinterland such as yam, plantain, maize, tomatoes, among others, cannot even get space to unload for the market women to retail their goods.
It has affected economic activities in the market such that foodstuffs always go bad especially during the rainy season when truck drivers refuse to come for them because their trucks are always stuck in the mud making it difficult for them to move.
Speaking to DAILY GUIDE, a peasant farmer who doubles as a retailer and gave his name only as Takyi lamented the bad roads from his farm to the market centre in Sunyani. He asserted that the situation had led to low productivity because their harvested crops were going to waste in the communities.
Some market women who spoke with the paper also said they had been living with poor road networks in the various market places for years and the assembly had done nothing about the situation. One of them lamented “they are only interested in tolls they collect from us every day but not interested in solving our problems; our situation is not new”.
Efforts by DAILY GUIDE to get the response of assembly authorities failed. The market women are therefore pleading with central government to direct municipal authorities including all stakeholders in the community to address the problem, adding “we are now channelling our problems through this medium for the government to come to our aid because we are suffering”.
DAILY GUIDE has gathered that though there is a bumper harvest in the area, conveying the foodstuffs to the various markets has become a major challenge due to the gullies created by erosion. As a result, many trucks break down on the road, which is discouraging to foodstuff retailers.
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