The Jomoro District of the Western Region could run out of food supplies if government does not to immediately take steps to support outboard motor operators and traders at Jo Wharf, a coastal community in the region. This is because the whole of the Jomoro District has its food supplies imported from Kyepum, a small community in Ivory Coast. The traders, who are mostly women, travel to Ivory Coast twice a week without outboard-motor-propelled canoes to bring food items from Ivory Coast. The traders and outboard motor operators are asking the Ministry of Food and Agriculture to support them acquire new motors to enable them continue supplying the district food at realistic prices. According to Joy FM’s Western Regional Correspondent, Kwaku Owusu Peprah, who joined the traders on their trip to Kyepum, the situation so bad the people believe their source of livelihood is at risk. The following is a report he filed for radio: “The sun is setting here at Jo wharf a small boarder town in the western region and am stepping into God is Good a 10 meter long ad board motor propelled canoe, am in the company of 12 Ghanaian women traders and together in this cold we are going to contend with the angry sea waves till we arrive at KYEPUM in Cote d'Ivoire the next morning. These women are going to buy plantain yam cassava pepper and all manner of food items. As our captain starts the ad motor we begin our journey. After several hours in this canoe on the high seas many of the traders have fallen asleep so I engaged the canoe man in a chat where he narrates the challenges in their business. “The out board motors are old so we find it difficult to keep it running through out the journey. Sometimes it stops and we are left helpless on the sea for ours and we have to paddle till we get to our destination. But our services help the district assembly in revenue generation. So we need help. Without us the whole of this district will starve,” says Nicholas, the motor man. You can just imagine how terrifying it is to travel in a canoe whose propeller has ceased for hours. The angry sea waves are smashing and tossing this canoe in any wild direction and with no life jackets I feel this canoe will capsize and we will all die. But Nicholas is quite skillful, a skillful navigator and he tells me everything will be fine as he successfully takes us to Kyepum in La Cote d’Ivoire and back to Jo Wharf in Ghana. As we disembarked from the canoe some of the traders appeal to government for support. Comfort says “we need government support government has been giving traders loans we the trader at Jo Wharf also need some of those loans to promote our business. The operators of the out board motors also need new ones because now they are old and it is becoming increasingly dangerous to travel with such machines. One day we may all die on the sea. So government should help us.” The Jomoro District has no arable land to support the growth of food crops nothing apart from coconut thrives on the soil here. This is why the district depends on neighboring Ivory Coast for its supply of food items. The DCE for Jomoro tells me the situation has persisted for a long time but the assembly is mobilizing funds to support the ad board motor operators to ensure the sustainable supply of food for the people of the district. Story by Kwaku Owusu Peprah/Myjoyonline.com/Ghana