The Ghana Cargo Owners and Tomato Traders Association (GCOTTA) have blamed the current shortage of tomatoes on the market, on the illegal seizure of their produce by a rival association.

According to GCOTA the current shortage had been occasioned by no granting of permit to its members and the unlawful seizure of their imported tomatoes by the Ghana National Tomatoes Traders and Transporters Association (GNTTTA).

Addressing a press conference in Accra on Monday, the secretary of GCOTA, Mr Samuel Otoo, said for some time now, members of the GNTTTA who claimed to have approval from the Ministry of Trade and Industry to issue permit to all who imported tomatoes from Burkina Faso had been preventing its members from crossing the border to buy tomatoes.

He said in situations where their members managed to cross the border and procure the tomatoes, members of the rival association using the police seized them without any justification.

Mr Otoo explained that the GCOTA which comprised of the Toinjole Tomatoes Traders Association, Ghana Agric Products Handlers Association and Boatema and Co Traders Association were not members of the GNTTA and therefore did not understand why they should impose their permit issues on them.

He said several attempts to get GNTTTA to desist from harassing its members had fallen on deaf ears.

"As a result, we have petitioned the IGP to as a matter of urgency to intervene and stop the GNTTTA from continuing with their illegal acts," he emphasised.

Mr Otoo assured that once the activities of their rival association was stopped, other associations would freely move in to Burkina Faso and buy tomatoes to meet market demand.

"We can assure you that once the illegal seizures by the GNTTTA and the unlawful issuance of permit at the border is stopped, there will be enough tomatoes on the market and this will drive down prices drastically," he said.