By Obiabin Onukwugha
The Ghanaian government says it plans to produce between 200,000 and 300,000 metric tonnes of tomatoes within the next two to three years, particularly during the dry season, as part of efforts to reduce imports.
Deputy Minister for Food and Agriculture, John Dumelo, revealed this while speaking at a popular radio program in Acra Ghana. He said the country is scaling up tomato production through irrigation, research and direct support to farmers.
“Our yearly demand is almost 800,000 metric tonnes. And hopefully, by the end of two to three years, we should be doing about 200,000 or 300,000 metric tonnes, especially in the dry season,” he said.
He noted that Ghana has, over the years, made several attempts to become self-sufficient in tomato production, pointing out that trials are ongoing with different varieties of tomatoes to see how best the government can commercialise them.
“When you go to Ashanti Region, at the Komadan irrigation scheme, they are doing some trials there. When you go to the Tono Dam in the north, they are doing some trials there with the FSRP. When you go to Garu, there’s an irrigation facility there where they are also undertaking tomato production,” he said.
The Deputy Minister said he would be touring some of these facilities to assess progress. “From tomorrow to Friday, I’ll be around some of these irrigation schemes to see how far they’ve gone,” he said, adding that harvesting has already started in some areas.
He stated that beyond irrigation, the government is also providing direct support to farmers who have been selected to receive solar-powered boreholes, while water pumps have been distributed to several farmer organisations.
Dumelo expressed confidence that with sustained trials and research, Ghana could eventually halt tomato imports from neighbouring countries.
“I can assure you that if we continue as we are doing now in terms of the trials and the research and everything we are undertaking, I should think that in about five or six years we should stop the total importation of tomatoes from Burkina Faso and neighbouring countries,” he stated.
