Means of Transportation for Groundnut and Cowpea Actors in the Northern Region of Ghana
Challenges in transporting crop produce include the cost of transport and sustenance of the quality of produce being transported. Good packaging helps to reduce transactional losses and maintain quality standards. Unfortunately, most rural areas are faced with the challenge of road infrastructure. The nature and state of roads determine the means and availability of transport.
Research conducted by CERATH Development Organization revealed that 62% of groundnut and cowpea aggregators transport their produce by tricycle, 34% transport by vehicle and the remaining 4% transport by foot. A majority of producers transport produce by tricycle while only a few transport by vehicle or on foot. All groundnut and cowpea processors sold directly from home or close to their houses and therefore did not use any means of transport.
CDO established that the main means of transport for groundnut and cowpea actors was the motor tricycle popularly known as the “motor king”. This finding did not come as a surprise because the tricycle has become one of the easiest and affordable means of transport for many rural, peri-urban and urban folks in northern Ghana
