Farmers appeal for better roads

Farmers in the Brong-Ahafo Region are appealing to the government to rehabilitate their roads to make them more accessible to prevent their farm produce from perishing.

The deplorable state of roads leading to farming communities in the region, has been affecting farming activities especially during the rainy season.

The roads have also been described as death traps by drivers who ply them on daily basis.

Nana Alex Tweneboa- Kodua, the 2014 Regional Best Farmer, said farmers in region are facing many challenges with regards to the transportation of their foodstuffs to market centres for sale.

He said this state of affairs, coupled with the absence of storage facilities, causes their their foodstuffs to rot.

He noted that those in the cities need food to eat “but if the roads are not good, how do we transport the food from the villages to the cities.?”

Mr. Tweneboa-Kodua appealed to the government to stabilize the prices of cash crops like cocoa, and provide farmers with loans and more agriculture extension officers to enable them grow more food to ensure food security.

Meanwhile some pressure groups in the Upper East Region are threatening to demonstrate on October 5, 2015 if government does not fix the roads linking all municipal and districts in the region.

The groups namely BONABOTO, Northern patriots in research and advocacy (NORPRA), Upper East youth association (UEYA)and the Zongo youth association at a press conference in Bolgatanga said the increased potholes on the region’s roads have claimed lives of many residents.

They added that it is also affecting the socio-economic activities in the region hence their action.

Spokesperson for the groups, Bismark Adongo said ”it is regrettable to note that aside the trans-ECOWAS road which links Kasena-Nankana East and West to the Bolgatanga all others roads linking the rest of the municipals and districts are in a state of disrepair.”

He said the Navrongo-Sandema -Fumbisi road is in a deplorable state adding that the situation has affected the agricultural sector in the region.

“Part of the Bolga-Bongo road from Madina to Bongo executed by Myturn co.Ltd few weeks ago have developed serious potholes. Why are the authorities watching speechless and sometimes supervising very shoddy jobs? We are all aware there is no single useable road in Bolgatanga yet we pride ourselves as a regional capital. The completely deteriorated and deplorable Bolga-Zuarungu road and Bolga-Sherigu road have resulted into countless and needless deaths within the year with the latest one claiming two lives on the Zuarungu road,” Bismark Adongo stated.

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