The supply of onions to Ghana is under threat following the seizure of several trucks transporting the commodity from Niger through Nigeria, spokesperson for the Onion Sellers Association, Mustapha Sulemana Talimu, has revealed.
Speaking in an interview on Channel One Newsroom on Sunday, April 5, Talimu explained that the situation stems from a disagreement among players 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 stated.
He noted that what began as a minor dispute has escalated into a broader conflict involving multiple groups, 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 now come into it,” Talimu added.
The development has left several trucks stranded, raising concerns over potential losses as the perishable goods risk going bad if the impasse is not resolved quickly.
One of the affected drivers, Awudu Tiajni, appealed for urgent intervention, saying, “We’ve been locked here for almost three days. Our goods are perishing. We are appealing to the government for help.”
Meanwhile, an onion trader in Accra, Alhaji Fuseini Atiiga, also told Citi News that the tensions are partly due to disagreements between Nigerian traders and farmers over how trucks are allocated for distribution to Ghana.
He explained that in Accra, about 52 trucks are typically received and shared among different associations. However, a larger portion is often allocated to a particular group—an arrangement that Nigerian traders have challenged, further deepening the dispute.
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