Koforidua, June 7, GNA - Some coffin manufacturers in the New Juaben Municipality have complained about low patronage of caskets in recent weeks and described the situation as worrying.

The manufacturers said they believed the high cost of the coffins, which they attributed to the cost of the materials, were some of the reason= s for the poor patronage of their product.

The price of a casket ranges between 200 Ghana Cedis for ordinary ones and 600 Ghana Cedis for stylish and decorated ones. Mr Kwesi Boateng, one of the casket manufacturers who spoke to the Ghana News Agency, said most of the materials that are used including the wood are bought in Accra because they are cheaper as compared to the ones i= n Koforidua.

He said sometimes the wood had to be acquired from the forest and poo= r roads in the villages, increase in fuel prices as well as the lack of vehicles to carry the woods normally increases the price of the wood. Mr Boateng said sometimes the Internal Revenue Service also compounded their problems by asking them to pay high taxes.

He said normally between two or three caskets are bought in a week when business is active and 93takes prayer for even one to be bought at ti= mes when business is slow."

Mr Boateng said it takes between one-and-a-half and two weeks for a casket to be made when all materials are available and the woods which are normally used are Nyame Dua, Odanta, Sese, Ofuntu and Wawa. He said Wawa is preferred over the rest because it is cheaper and cost effective.