There is an uneasy calm at the premises of the Avnash rice processing factory in Tamale as tension brews between labourers, unpaid rice farmers, and the management of the company over offloading fees and unpaid monies owed to some rice farmers.
The agitated farmers say they called to supply rice to the company, which they did some weeks ago, but until now they have not been paid.
A disappointed farmer who gave his name only as Alhassan said Avnash is taking advantage of them by taking their products and refusing to pay them since he supplied them on March 13, 2024.
“What this company is doing is not right; they are using us for their businesses while we struggle. Some of us took loans to farm, so if you don’t pay us, how are we going to pay back the loans?” he quizzed.
Meanwhile, many of the farmers who have sold their raw rice to them have threatened to summon the company, the Ya Naa Palace, and a commercial court if payment is not made immediately.
Meanwhile, labourers in the company are currently on a sit-down strike as Avnash has refused to increase their wages for offloading goods from trucks.
They said, “They give us Gh0.86 pesewas for offloading a bag of rice, while if you go to town, they offload a bag of rice at Gh2.00 cedis. An angry staffer explained.
He added that they will not continue to offload any trucks until management increases the offloading fee.
However, this action has led farmers who have brought their rice to sell at the company to either offload their goods themselves or pay for the services of outside labourers to offload their goods.
Avnash Rice Processing Factory is a Ghanaian company with a main interest in agribusiness processing, with roots in its motherland dating back to 1960. The agribusiness comprises edible oil refining and rice milling, and it is currently one of the largest rice milling companies in West Africa.
By: Prince Kwame Tamakloe/Rainbowradioonline.com/Ghana
