Farmers protest against new transport fares

The inhabitants of 20 farming communities near Coaltar in the Suhum-Kraboa-Coaltar District have chosen to walk instead of pay new lorry fares being charged by tro-tro and taxi drivers plying the area.

Before the new fares brought on by the increase in petroleum prices, drivers plying the 10-kilometre road to Nsawam from Ntowkrom, Bada, Abiesi and Marfukrom, among others, charged 800 cedis and 1,000 cedis by mini-bus and taxi respectively. The new rates are 1,200 cedis and 1,500 cedis.

At a general meeting held by more than 700 farmers and sub-chiefs at Otoase at the weekend, Nana Odoi Yirenkyi II, Chief of the town, and Baffour Addo II, Chief of Ntowkrom, told the Ghana News Agency that the people cannot afford the new fares, which they considered to be unreasonably high.

The two chiefs said though they sent delegations to the Coaltar GPRTU, they had received no response, adding that the farmers planned to go on strike if the law enforcement agencies did not come to their aid.

Nana Addo and Nana Yirenkyi also appealed to the government to provide the people with regular bus services to enable them to cart their locked up foodstuffs to the marketing centres.

The affected communities also include Akotuakrom, Krabokese, Anfaso, Kraboa, Otoase, Ayibontey, Kofisah, Sumkrom and Afumkrom.