Kumasi coffins makers complain of poor sales; call for government support

General News on Tuesday, January 22, 2019

Source: mynewsgh.com

2019-01-22

Coffins makers in the capital of Ashanti region, Kumasi, complained about the bankruptcy of their business because of weak sales and the impossibility of accessing wood to build them.

According to them, Burkinabe people are buying all the wood they need to make coffins at attractive prices for their Ghanaian counterparts who no longer want to sell them a situation they complain about, progressively putting them out of business, calling on the government to support them.

"Access to wood is a major factor affecting the progress of our business. When you go to the Sokoban wood village, you can see stilts on wood, all bought by the Burkinabe, because they have money and buy the wood at higher prices, "he said. .

In an interview with 3news.com, the president of the Association of Coffins Makers, Samuel Sarpong, said most of them had settled elsewhere, mainly because of the fact that they were not working. they could not buy the wood that locals were already buying, given the high demand. by the Burkinabe

"Wood sellers are always eager to sell them to Burkinabés and that affects us. As for coffins, we sell them from 400 to 4000 cedis. When you want a coffin, we ask for the type of wood and the design that will determine the price, but at least, with 400 cedis, you will get a coffin from us, "he said.

He appealed to the government to train more people to make coffins, as he had done for carpenters at Anloga Junction in Kumasi.

"The areas in which we are currently working do not encourage us to train even more young people because of lack of space. If the government can help us as it has helped the carpenters of Anloga Junction and transferred them all to Sokoban Wood Village, we will be grateful, "said Sarpong.