Regional News of Monday, 16 July 2007

Source: GNA

Tuobodom tomato farmers unhappy with middlemen

Tuobodom (B/A), July 16, GNA - Tomato farmers at Tuobodom in the Techiman municipality have appealed to the Ministry of Food and Agriculture to intervene and save them from cheating middlemen and women.

Mr Baffour Afrifa, Chairman of Tuobodom Tomato Farmers Association, who made the appeal, said the middlemen and women had now "increased the sizes of their boxes" to cheat the farmers.

Speaking at a general meeting of the association at Tuobodom on how to confront the situation, Mr. Afrifa said the middlemen also failed to pay the farmers for the produce they bought.

Mr Seth Adjei Fosu, Techiman municipal best farmer, urged the farmers to follow good agricultural farming methods and seek advice from agricultural extension officers.

He said the government would soon complete the Techiman tomato factory to serve as ready market for the produce. The chairman appealed to the farmers to cultivate new varieties of tomato including mangel, xina and titao, which are resistant to diseases.