Ghana is targeting the production of about 100,000 tonnes of tomatoes from more than 10,000 acres of land under a new initiative aimed at reducing the country’s reliance on imported tomatoes.
The Ghana Tomato Self-Sufficiency Initiative (GHATSI), launched at Anloga in the Volta Region on Tuesday, will be implemented across 35 districts in 10 regions by the Ministry of Food and Agriculture (MoFA) in partnership with FarmMate Limited.
The initiative comes as Ghana continues to face a significant gap between domestic tomato production and national demand. According to MoFA, the country consumes about 805,000 metric tonnes of tomatoes annually, while current production stands at approximately 510,000 metric tonnes, leaving a deficit of nearly 300,000 metric tonnes.
The situation is further worsened by post-harvest losses, with about 30 per cent of locally produced tomatoes, equivalent to roughly 153,000 metric tonnes, estimated to be lost before reaching consumers.
Minister of Food and Agriculture, Eric Opoku, said GHATSI was designed to build a reliable, year-round tomato value chain that connects farmers to irrigation, inputs, financing, insurance, processing, logistics and guaranteed markets.
He noted that tomato shortages are particularly common between December and July, while significant quantities are lost during periods of excess production.
“We experience scarcity at one point and waste at another,” Mr Opoku said, explaining that the initiative would address the seasonal nature of tomato farming and improve coordination between production, aggregation, processing and marketing.
The programme is expected to be expanded over time, with a long-term target of producing about 400,000 tonnes of tomatoes annually from more than 40,000 acres. Part of the produce will also be processed into tomato purée and other value-added products.
Under GHATSI, participating farmers will have access to a production financing package estimated at GH¢20,000 per acre. The package will cover inputs, land preparation, soil testing, technical support, insurance and other production needs.
The financing will be recovered through a structured off-take arrangement, with contracted buyers purchasing the tomatoes directly from participating farmers after harvest.
Mr Opoku said participating farms would also be covered by multi-peril crop insurance, with an insurance value of up to GH¢50,000 per acre in the event of an insured unforeseen incident that destroys a farm.
The programme will also introduce a pension arrangement under which an agreed portion of farmers’ income will be set aside after harvest to provide financial security in retirement.
As part of efforts to support year-round production, the government plans to rehabilitate all 22 existing irrigation facilities in the Volta Region by the end of 2027.
The Minister also announced plans to provide two new excavators to the Volta Regional Coordinating Council to support the dredging of lagoons, streams and rivers for irrigation.
The first phase of the national tomato initiative is expected to create more than 150,000 direct and indirect employment opportunities while strengthening Ghana’s domestic tomato supply chain.
