Ramatu Sulemana, Chairperson of the association
The Association of Pepper buyers in Paga known as Juagwane Agric Business Group has appealed to the Ghana Police Service to provide members with adequate security to enable them to go about their businesses.
They said their business operations have come under serious threat in recent times by the activities of armed robbers who attack them.
They explained that the robbers who usually lay an ambush in the thickets attack members as they embark on journeys to buy the farm produce.
Speaking to this reporter when the group held its maiden get-together at Paga on Tuesday, the Chairperson of the association, Ramatu Sulemana, who seriously lamented the attacks on members, said the activities of the miscreants were affecting their business as members no longer find it safe to move to distant places to buy the commodity.
She said, “another big challenge we have is armed robbery attacks. Our members are constantly being attacked on their way to the farms by these armed robbers who take our monies and other valuables. It is really affecting our business because we can no longer go to faraway places to buy pepper because we fear we would be attacked by the robbers”.
The chairperson noted that the attacks were particularly rife in areas along the border with Burkina Faso. She, therefore, appealed to the Police to give them escort or position its men along routes in the areas where most of the attacks are recorded.
She said when that is done, the attacks targeted at members would stop and a conducive atmosphere would also be created to enable their business to flourish so they can contribute to nation-building.
The Chairperson also appealed to the Paramount Chief of the area, P3 Charles Awiah Awumpaga ll, to assist the association with land to be used as a market where they can conduct their operations. She said the lack of a market space was greatly affecting their dealings.
“We don’t have a place to call our market. We don’t have a place where we can do our businesses, so we want to appeal to our father, the Paga-Pio to give us land so that we can use it as our market”. Mrs Sulemana appealed.
She touched on some policies in the agriculture sector and appealed to the government to desilt dams in the area and provide a few more to support dry season crop cultivation. She also urged government to provide farmers who place a very crucial role in the chain value with farm inputs to boost food production.
