Angry Farmer Confronts Deputy Agriculture Minister John Dumelo Over Ripe Pepper Losses
- John Dumelo, Deputy Minister for Food and Agriculture, was confronted by a frustrated farmer during a visit to Zaare Irrigation Farms
- The farmer accused cartels in the value chain of creating artificial shortages, leaving ripe peppers to rot while controlling prices in major cities
- During the visit, Dumelo assured farmers of government support and efforts to improve market access and reduce reliance on imported vegetables
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The Deputy Minister for Food and Agriculture, John Dumelo, was confronted by a seemingly angry farmer during a visit to Zaare Irrigation Farms in the Bolgatanga Municipality of the Upper East Region.
In a video circulating on social media, the farmer was captured passionately venting his frustration over post-harvest losses.
Source: Instagram
He complained about a lack of market access, which he claimed has resulted in large quantities of ripe peppers rotting in the field.
According to the young man, there are some cartels in the value chain who are creating an artificial shortage of peppers in the market by refusing to buy from farmers who are not part of the group.
"If you can't join that group, they will frustrate you. The same thing is happening in Accra and Kumasi, and that is what is creating the backlog. In a week, they only buy from farmers on Sundays and Wednesdays. Meanwhile, every day, we are harvesting," he said.
"They do that to create scarcity in the cities and cause rotting or backlogs, and that is our headache. We have tried, even years back, to break this cartel… It’s these market queens who are determining the prices," he added.
Watch the IG video below:
Why John Dumelo visited Zaare Irrigation Farms
John Dumelo’s visit to Zaare Irrigation Farms was part of a broader tour to assess the challenges facing vegetable farmers in the Upper East Region.
During the visit, the Deputy Agriculture Minister assured the farmers of government support and addressed the broader issue of market access, including efforts to reduce reliance on imported vegetables.
Reactions to Dumelo’s encounter with angry farmer
Some netizens who came across John Dumelo’s encounter with the farmer in the trending video flocked to the comment section to share their views.
YEN.com.gh compiled a few of the reactions below:
@chapter_kei said:
"In Korea, packaged pepper paste is a staple and is sold worldwide. If we have such produce, why can’t we set up the systems to further make products with longer shelf life (or even dried) out of these raw materials."
faithful572 also said:
"So the pepper farmers are saying, they can't pluck the peppers and dry them? We are just lazy, or partisan politics is really killing us."
@gabbyayew commented:
"Putting up an irrigation system for farming in Ghana is very expensive, yet after all that investment, you don't make a profit just because some people are determining the prices at a level they want."
azprila also commented:
"John, please be careful out there."
Source: Facebook
John Dumelo to provide free cocoa drinks
Earlier, YEN.com.gh reported that John Dumelo had said he would provide free Ghana-made cocoa drinks for public school pupils in Ayawaso West Wuogon.
The MP said the initiative is to promote the nutritional benefits of cocoa and support local farmers while boosting school attendance.
Ghanaians on social media who saw John Dumelo's statement shared their varied thoughts in the comment section.
Proofreading by Samuel Gitonga, copy editor at YEN.com.gh.
Source: YEN.com.gh
