Debiso (W/R), Oct. 23, GNA - Cocoa and foodstuffs are said to have locked up in the southern part of the Western Region as a result of heavy rains which have rendered roads impassable. In some of the cocoa growing communities, farmers had been compelled by the circumstances to carry their food crops, cocoa and other items on their heads travelling miles to market centres. The worst affected districts are Bia, Juabeso, Akontonbra, Bibiani-Anwiaso-Bekwai and Sefwi-Wiawso.

In the case of Bia district, which had been cut-off from the rest of the region, the farmers sometimes throw away their cocoa beans because they go bad.

Some of the farmers told the Ghana News Agency (GNA) on Friday that they did not have access to potable water and other social amenities. They said they have been completely cut-off from the rest of the country due to the bad nature of the road.

A visit by the GNA to some of the cocoa growing communities revealed that some communities had to rely on rickety trucks to travel to sefwi-Asawinso before connecting them to Sefwi-Wiawso. When contacted, the Bia District Chief Executive Mr Solomon Fuachie said he was not happy about the transportation difficulties confronting the people in the area.

The situation of Akontombra district was not different from that of Juaboso.

A visit to Sefwi-Dwenase market, which relies on food supply from those affected districts, indicated that prices of food had increased. Some of the market women attributed the high prices to high transport fares as a result of the bad nature of the road.