Large quantities of foodstuffs stuck in Asunafo North

Foodstuffs, vegetables and cocoa beans are stuck in farms in some communities in the Asunafo North Municipality of Brong-Ahafo Region due to bad roads, a survey by the Ghana News Agency media tracking team, has revealed.

Feeder roads to farm gates, in most of the predominantly farming communities are very deplorable. Due to the bad nature of roads vehicle owners have refused to convey food crops from the farms to marketing communities especially during rainy seasons.

Okokurudurofour Boakye Danquah, Chief of Fawohoyeden, one of the affected communities, told the GNA that the area is among the major food producing communities in the Brong-Ahafo Region but most of the roads are not accessible. He told the GNA media tracking team that residents are into large scale farming – plantain, cocoa, cocoyam, maize, cassava and yams.

The team has selected the Fawohoyeden community for the implementation of the GNA media auditing and tracking of Developments at the District and community levels which is being funded by STAR- Ghana to improve public accountability by duty bearers to the people.

The 14-month project also seeks to enhance the capacity of GNA reporters in media auditing and tracking of development projects. Okokudurufour Boakye Danquah said most of the farmers in the area are gradually going out of their farming businesses because they are cash strapped. During the visit, almost all the wooden bridges the team sighted on some of the feeder roads were dilapidated.

The media team gathered that many farmers are indebted because they could not recoup monies they borrowed and invested in their farms. Okokurudurofour Boakye Danquah added that because there are no standardized prices for maize and other vegetables and foodstuff, traders who manage to go to the farm gates buy the produce cheaply.

Meanwhile, a police station project, being constructed by the people of Fawohoyeden Community, at the cost of GHC65, 000 is steadily progressing. Works on the project, which was initiated by the people and started in 2007, was abandoned due to lack of funding.

Since the GNA tracking team uncovered and published stories about the project, the community continued to receive support from philanthropists and other timber firms and corporate bodies in the municipality.

According to Okokudurufour Boakye Danquah publications on the project have attracted the attention of the Municipal Assembly to support the people to complete the project. When the team contacted the Assembly's Municipal Engineer, Mr Daniel Yaw Fobi, said the assembly was considering providing the community with 20 bags of cement to support the project.