Cane basket weavers in Accra and its environs lament that they are unable to fulfill orders for their products due to the inadequate supply of cane which is the basic raw material for their products.
The use of cane baskets in the packaging of hampers has come to stay.
They are in high demand around this time of the year as many patronize them basically for hampers.
Onua Business News visited some of the cane weavers in parts of Accra, they revealed that business is booming and are able to weave over 20 baskets and make between GH 1500 and GH 2000 each day. They tell us that the canes which they buy from the Agbogloshie market are mostly grown in the Brong Ahafo, Western and Central regions. A bundle of the cane goes for GH 200.
Aside the baskets, they also weave different kinds of furniture using the cane and in some instances adding bamboo. Mr. Oppong has been in the cane weaving business for the past 35 years, he tells Onua Business he was trained by his father. Mr. Oppong and 4 other cane weavers in Cantonments all hail from Enyiresi in the Eastern region, which is a hub for cane weaving. The baskets are sold between GH 12 and GH 30 cedis.
With GHC 400 and 3 crates of soft drinks, one can learn the trade in three months. It is a lucrative business which employs hundreds of people across the country. They called on government to come to their aid. They wish to have access capital to expand their business. They complain of waist pains due to the long sitting they have to endure to do their work.
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