Tomato sellers go wild on 'Goro boys'

Tomato sellers at the CMB and Railway Line markets in the Central Business District (CBD) of Accra are up in arms against middlemen [Goro Boys] whose activities they say, are not only inimical to their trade, but also deprive the state of revenue.

According to the members of the Greater Accra Regional branch of the Ghana National Tomato Traders and Transporters Association (GNTTA), the ‘goro boys’and girls are nurturing an illegal parallel tomato market right in front of their markets which is destroying their business.

They explained to Today that the market is a government designated tomato market and as a result they pay daily levies to the Accra Metropolitan Assembly (AMA) in addition to the tax each of the 237 members of the association pays to the Ghana Revenue Authority (GRA).

They further clarified that due to the risky nature of the tomato trade, it is regulated well to guarantee continuous supply of the produce.

According to them, the lack of storage facilities at the markets makes trading in the commodity risky; because tomatoes are highly perishable and, therefore, have a very short lifespan.

The angry tomato sellers indicated that very few people are willing to venture into the business for fear of losing their capital.

Consequently to avoid losses, the traders have now adopted a rotational plan that ensures that members do not lose out.

They say these goro boys, through their activities, pose a danger to their business as well as a national security threat.

According to the tomato sellers, the ‘goro boys connive with other traders to bring in tomatoes from other parts of the country and sometimes even from the Republic of Togo without paying a dime to the state or the AMA in terms of tax and levies.

They said that, the goro boys charge a minimum of GH 500 Ghana cedis per truck which goes into lining their private pockets before allowing these illegal traders to sell in front of the CMB and Railway Line markets.

The GNTTA members in an interview said, “customers have stopped patronizing the authorized market and rather troop in large numbers to the illegal market located right in front of them.”

The advantages location of the illegal market, according to GNTTA, has accounted for its patronage.

The situation, they explained, was creating a problem because the lack of storage facilities meant that most of their tomatoes often get rotten.

To this end, the distressed tomato sellers called on the government to, as a matter of urgency, intervene and get rid of the ‘goro boys’ and the illegal market.

They revealed that they had lodged several complaints with the AMA, the Ministry of Trade and Industry and the Regional Minister’s office but all to no avail.

It would be recalled that last week Wednesday, the GNTTA met with the Deputy Minister for the Local Government and Rural Development, Nii Lante Vanderpuijie to have their concerns addressed.

The said meeting which was held in the conference room of the Ministry in Accra was also attended by officials from the Office of the President-Flagstaff House, Ministry of Finance and Economic Planning, AMA and the Ghana Police Service.

Today can confirm that the said meeting has started yielding some positive dividends; as of Friday, July 17, 2015, the Accra Central Police arrested a notorious goro boy for aiding an illegal tomato trade in Accra.

The suspect, Samuel Appor, alias Cobby was taken into Police custody for further investigations.

The Police has reportedly been directed to help the AMA combat the goro boys menace at the CMB and Railway Line tomato markets.