Tomato Ban Should Push Ghana Toward Self-Sufficiency

By Esther Korantemaa Offei

Acting Deputy Chief Executive of the Gaming Commission of Ghana, Lamtiig Apanga, has called for urgent domestic action in response to the tomato export restrictions from Burkina Faso, warning that overreliance on imports is no longer sustainable despite Ghana’s favourable agricultural conditions.

Speaking in an interview, Apanga questioned why Ghana continues to depend heavily on its neighbour despite having what he described as better natural resources. “The other even strange parts is that we even have a better weather than Burkina Faso. We have better rainfall than Burkina Faso. We have more water bodies than Burkina Faso. So why would we sign up for all this?” he asked.

He acknowledged that while the export ban may create immediate hardship, it also presents an opportunity for the country to rethink its agricultural strategy. “Sometimes I think hard decisions like this would help us to look internally and find internal solutions,” he said.

Apanga noted that his initial reaction to the development was concern about its impact on consumers, but he now believes it could drive long-term benefits. “When I saw it initially, I was like, well, this is to create some hardship, but in the long run, will provide us an opportunity to grow internal solutions, find internal solutions to meet our supply and other vegetables,” he explained.

He further suggested that limited short-term engagement with Burkina Faso may be necessary to stabilise the market while Ghana strengthens its internal capacity. “We may want to do that as a short term exercise to allow us some space so we can manage the prices,” he said.

Apanga warned that severe shortages could lead to sharp price increases. “If the shortage becomes so low and there’s great scarcity, what we are likely to see is really huge price increase, and that is likely to affect all of us,” he cautioned.

He stressed that diplomacy should only serve as a temporary measure. “The diplomatic option should not be the long term option,” he said, pointing to the upcoming rainy season as a chance for Ghana to reorganise and boost local production.