Burkina Faso conflict cause of tomato shortage - Traders

The National Tomato Transporters and Sellers Association have indicated that recent increase in tomato prices is as a result of the ongoing conflict in Burkina Faso which has affected its importation.

The vegetable which is presently in shortage has its price doubling in the last few days.

The Queen Mother of the Greater Accra Tomato Transporters and Sellers Association, Otumfuor Charity, in a publication by Citi Newsroom on April 26, 2023, highlighted the demand for tomatoes coming from Burkina Faso.

“There is indeed a shortage of tomatoes, but it is not intentional. In Ghana, from December to May, we do not harvest tomatoes. The tomatoes we consume are from Burkina Faso during this period. This year there have been ongoing conflicts in Burkina Faso, so entering the country has become increasingly difficult. Every year we go for tomatoes, but the prices don’t increase to this extent. This year has been different,” she said in the report.

She added that the price of purchasing the crate has gone up as a result of the conflict.

“Right now, a crate of tomatoes goes for over 130,000 CFA. The high exchange rate is also not helping matters. You also need to pay for transportation, so if you borrowed money for your trade, you need to pay for the debt.”

The report mentioned a certain Bintu Mohammed who is a trader. In her narration, traders like herself go through challenges to get tomatoes into the country for purchase.

“It takes three days to harvest tomatoes and bring them into Ghana. When it gets here, some of the tomatoes start to rot. There are conflicts where we go to buy the tomatoes. It takes courage to travel and come back. We sometimes do not eat or drink water for the three days we travel. Human beings are beheaded before our eyes. They do not attack Ghanaians. If you show them your Ghana card, they will let you go. We do not understand the conflict. We are only there to buy tomatoes to come and sell here,” she narrated.

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