The Ghana Cargo Owners and Tomato Traders Association (GCOTA) has blamed the current shortage of tomatoes on the market on the illegal seizure of their produce by a rival association.
According to GCOTA, the current shortage had been occasioned by no granting of permits to its members and the unlawful seizure of their imported tomatoes by the Ghana National Tomatoes Traders and Transporters Association (GNTTTA).
GCOTA Secretary, Samuel Otoo, said for some time now, members of the GNTTTA who claimed to have approval from the Ministry of Trade and Industry to issue permits to all who imported tomatoes from Burkina Faso had been preventing its members from crossing the border to buy tomatοes.
He said in situations where their members managed to cross the border and procure the tomatοes, members of the rival association, using the police, seized them without any justification.
Mr Otoo explained that the GCOTA which comprised of the Toinjole Tomatoes Traders Association, Ghana Agric Products Handlers Association and Boatema and Co Traders Association were not members of the GNTTA and therefore did not understand why they should impose their permit issues on them.
Samuel also said several attempts to get GNTTTA to desist from harassing its members had fallen on deaf ears.
“As a result, we have petitioned the IGP to as a matter of urgency to intervene and stop the GNTTTA from continuing with their illegal acts,” he emphasised.
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Mr Otoo assured that once the activities of their rival association were stopped, other associations would freely move into Burkina Faso and buy tomatοes to meet the current market demand.
“We can assure you that once the illegal seizures by the GNTTTA and the unlawful issuance of permits at the border are stopped, there will be enough tomatoes on the market and this will drive down prices drastically,” he said.
