The supply of onions in Ghana is facing potential disruption following the seizure of trucks transporting the vegetables from Niger through Nigeria, a spokesperson for the onion sellers association, Mustapha Sulemana Talimu, has said.
Talimu explained that the crisis emerged after disagreements between certain groups within the onion trade.
“Two, three days ago, a small group among the onion traders had an issue with Nigerian traders and stopped their cars from offloading goods at the market. Because of that, all the trucks coming to Ghana have now been seized,” he said in an interview on the Channel One Newsroom on Sunday, April 5.
He noted that the conflict, which initially involved a limited number of traders, has escalated into a wider dispute affecting multiple associations, including Ghanaian, Kusasi, Hausa, and Côte d’Ivoire traders.
“All the cars have been stopped. What we are talking about is the business of onions in Ghana, but politics has come into it,” Talimu said.
The stranded trucks, which carry perishable onions, are at risk of spoilage if the situation persists.
In an earlier interview, one of the drivers, Awudu Tiajni, lamented, “We’ve been locked here for almost three days. Our goods are perishing. We are appealing to the government for help.”
Alhaji Fuseini Atiiga, an onion trader in Accra, also told Citi News in an interview on Sunday, April 5, that the tensions stem from disagreements between Nigerian traders and farmers over the distribution model of trucks from Nigeria to Ghana.
He explained that in Accra, about 52 trucks are brought in and distributed among associations. However, he said the majority go to a particular association, which the Nigerian traders oppose.
Source: CitiNewsRoom (www.citinewsroom.com)
