Thousands of cassava farmers in the Oti Region are grappling with severe financial losses as large quantities of processed cassava chips remain unsold due to the lack of buyers.

The situation has been worsened by the fact that the chips, which were processed with the peels intact, are now considered unsuitable for cassava flour production, further limiting their market value.

A visit by the Ghana News Agency (GNA) to several farming communities revealed sacks of cassava chips piled under mango trees and heaped along roadsides, left exposed to dust and deterioration — a stark indication of the farmers’ distress.

Madam Comfort Babijome, a cassava farmer at Gyato Chayo in the Krachi Nchumuru District, disclosed that the price of a bag of cassava chips has dropped sharply to below GH¢100, compared to between GH¢350 and GH¢400 a year ago.

Similarly, Kasim Kwame Abubakar, a cassava farmer from the Sibi community in the Nkwanta North District, appealed for government intervention, noting that his processed chips are gradually going to waste due to the absence of buyers.

Farmers in the Krachi East District have also reported facing the same challenges, with many calling on authorities to help secure markets or provide alternative solutions to prevent further losses.

“We need the government to help us find markets or offer alternative support,” the farmers appealed.