Upper East Tomato farmers turn to marijuana cultivatio

Some tomato farmers in the Nabdam District in the Upper East Region have turned to cultivating marijuana, Joy News has learnt. The farmers claim they are tired of the annual post harvest losses and the bad weather conditions they endure cultivating tomatoes. In 2008, some farmers were reported to have committed suicide after the tomatoes they cultivated ended up in the dust bin. They did not get market for the produce which are highly perishable. This was after they had taken soft loans from banks to facilitate their business. One of the farmers who wants to remain anonymous took Joy FM's Upper East Regional correspondent Joseph Osei round huge tracts of marijuana farms being cultivated by the farmers along the banks of the Volta lake. They claim the marijuana cultivation is more lucrative, even though it is illegal. Joseph Osei notes the location of the farms makes it difficult for police personnel to identify the type of business the farmers are engaged in. The regional crop services Joseph wale denied knowledge on the practice.