Ghana spends about US$168 million annually on fresh and processed tomato imports, while the country’s dependence on imported ginger has exceeded 99 percent following a disease outbreak, researchers at the Council for Scientific and Industrial Research (CSIR) have revealed.
The figures highlight the country’s growing import dependence in key horticultural commodities and the significant foreign exchange costs associated with gaps in domestic production.
The researchers disclosed the figures during the second session of the 2026 Ministry of Environment, Science, Technology and Innovation (MEST) Visibility Webinar Series, held under the theme, “CSIR’s Interventions on Tomato and Ginger.”
Dr Michael Kwabena Osei, Principal Research Scientist and vegetable breeder at the CSIR Crop Research Institute, said Ghana’s annual demand for fresh and processed tomatoes is more than 1.4 million metric tonnes, but local production supplies only about 15 to 18 percent of that requirement.
He said Ghana imports between 100,000 and 120,000 metric tonnes of fresh tomatoes annually, mainly from Burkina Faso, at a cost of about US$18 million.
A further US$150 million is spent on processed tomato imports, largely sourced from China and Europe. These imports are estimated to be equivalent to between 400,000 and 450,000 metric tonnes of raw tomatoes.
More than 60 percent of fresh tomato imports enter Ghana between November and April, when local production declines significantly during the dry season.
Dr Osei said Ghana has more than 400,000 hectares of arable land suitable for tomato cultivation, but productivity remains low. Average yields are between seven and 10 tonnes per hectare, compared with potential yields of 20 to 80 tonnes per hectare when improved varieties and better farming practices are used.
He identified limited access to quality seeds, inadequate irrigation, declining soil fertility, pests and diseases, and weak extension services among the major challenges facing tomato production.
Ghana’s reliance on imported planting material is also putting pressure on farmers.
According to Dr Osei, more than 85 percent of tomato seeds planted in Ghana are commercial hybrid varieties, increasing production costs and exposing farmers to external supply disruptions.
“A country that imports its seed will always import its food,” he said.
The researchers also identified underutilised irrigation infrastructure as a major barrier to year-round tomato production.
Of the 15,000 hectares covered by 22 public irrigation schemes, only about 9,000 hectares are currently being utilised, limiting the country’s ability to sustain production during the dry season.
The CSIR researchers said addressing these production constraints would be critical to reducing Ghana’s dependence on imported tomatoes and other horticultural products while saving foreign exchange and strengthening domestic food production.
