Otoase (E/R), Oct. 4, GNA – Tomatoe farmers in five communities in and around Otoase in the Eastern Region, has appealed to the Ministry of Food and Agriculture for assistance to transport their produce to the marketing centres. Mr. Kwame Sarpong, Chairman of the Tomatoe Farmers Association in the area, made the call at a meeting of the association at Otoase to see how to solve the problem. About 700 tomatoe farmers from Otoase, Kraboa, Krabokese, Ayibontey, Otoase Amanfro and Coaltar attended the meeting. Mr. Sarpong pointed out that members of the association could transport about 30 truck load of tomatoes a day but their efforts were being hampered by lack of vehicles to cart their produce to the marketing centres. He urged marketing women from the urban centres, including Nsawam, Accra, Koforidua, Nkawkaw and Kumasi to go to the area to purchase tomatoes to avoid the produce getting rotten on the farms. Mr. Sarpong also appealed to the Government to provide them with storage facilities and to establish a processing plant in the area. He also appealed to the Ministry of Food and Agriculture to supply them with farming inputs such as fertilisers to enable them to expand their farming activities. Mr. Sarpong said this would encourage the youth to take farming as a vocation and prevent them from travelling to the urban centres in search of non-existent white-collar jobs.
