Farmers at the Kpassa market in the Nkwanta North District of the Oti Region have expressed deep concern over falling prices of their produce, which they attribute to a sharp decline in buyers.

A visit by the Ghana News Agency revealed dozens of farmers and traders—mostly women—sitting behind large basins of maize, soybeans, gari and dried cassava, waiting for customers who rarely showed up. Many lamented that the lack of buyers has forced them to sell their goods far below production cost.

According to the farmers, despite working tirelessly throughout the farming season, the current prices are not enough to recover expenses on fertiliser, other farm inputs and transportation. Several traders said the situation has persisted for months, as buyers from major towns and regions have significantly reduced their visits to the market.

Hajia Fozia, a trader, described the situation as dire, noting that the steady decline in patronage has pushed prices to unprecedented lows. Farmers compared this year’s prices to last year’s, noting that a bag of dried cassava that previously sold for over GH¢1,000 now goes for just GH¢400. Similarly, a bag of gari that sold for GH¢1,000 last year now sells for about GH¢600, with the prices of several other staples also dropping considerably.

To ease their hardship, the farmers appealed to the government to allow caterers under the School Feeding Programme to purchase food items directly from local markets. They also called on the Ministry of Food and Agriculture to introduce measures that will enable farmers to benefit fairly from their labour, stressing that farming remains a strenuous and high-cost venture.