By Louise Jobe
Foroyaa sent this Reporter in Foni to monitor this year’s groundnut buying and selling process.
Some farmers were interviewed in Sintet, Sangajor, Bwiam and other satellite communities who told this Reporter that transportation of the nuts is costly due to the long distance between their villages and the cooperative seccos at Sibanor and Foni Bintang, encouraging some middle business agents to come to purchase their groundnuts from them in their villages.
According to a farmer who did not want his name to be mentioned middle business entrepreneurs would pay one hundred and fifty dalasi to two hundred dalasi (D150.00/ D200.00) per bag without sieving and weighing unlike the process at the cooperative buying points or Seccos.
In comparing the differences between the cooperative buying price per tonne of twenty eight thousand dalasi D28,000.00, and the middle business entrepreneurs a tonne will amount to thirty thousand to forty thousand dalasi (D30,000.00/ D40,000.00) per tonne which is greater than what they can get by selling at the seccos.
When asked about the case of fertilizer and other farm implements provided by the government, he responded that the last farming or cropping season only a few farmers in their Area were able to purchase fertilizer due to the high price of eight hundred dalasi D800.00 per bag from buying points.
So they felt that selling the groundnuts produced at a good price would be more favourable to them.
