Watermelon farmers in Bienye in the Wa West District of the Upper West Region have cried bitterly over the lack of ready market to sell their produce last year.
According to them, they recorded low sales and even sometimes of the year, no sales which caused most of their produce to rot.
They attributed the low patronage largely to the emergence of Coronavirus that has caused the imposition of some unfavorable restrictions on travelling and marketing activities.
The farmers lamented that, they felt the pinch of the unavailability of the buyers and that they lost so much on the farms.
Abudi Nanganusi, one of the affected farmers, however said the challenges they face in selling water melon are largely attributable to the lack of a controlled market system, as everybody goes their way to find buyers who in turn determine the prices of the produce.
Watermelon, an essential seasonal fruit that adds to the nutritional basket of the country, of recent, has been cultivated in large quantities by farmers in the Upper West Region.
However, farmers of the crop have always lost out due to the lack of storage facilities and access to ready market.
There is therefore no doubt that the establishment of a processing factory in the area where the crop is most cultivated will not only be a relief to the farmers but also in fulfilment of building a Ghana Beyond Aid.
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