Gov’t Sets Ambitious Dry-Season Tomato Output Target to Curb Imports

The government is intensifying efforts to reduce Ghana’s heavy reliance on tomato imports, with plans to produce between 200,000 and 300,000 metric tonnes of tomatoes during the dry season within the next two to three years.

Deputy Minister for Food and Agriculture, John Dumelo, disclosed the target in a media interview where he explained that the strategy forms part of a broader agricultural transformation agenda focused on irrigation expansion, research, and direct farmer support.

Ghana’s annual tomato requirement stands at nearly 800,000 metric tonnes, leaving a significant supply gap that has historically been filled through imports, particularly during the dry season. According to the Deputy Minister, boosting dry-season cultivation is critical to narrowing that deficit.

He revealed that trials involving improved tomato varieties are currently underway at several irrigation facilities nationwide. These include the Komadan irrigation scheme in the Ashanti Region, the Tono Dam in the Upper East Region under the Food Systems Resilience Programme (FSRP), and irrigation fields in Garu. Harvesting, he noted, has already begun in some of these areas.

Mr Dumelo said he is scheduled to tour a number of the project sites this week to evaluate progress and engage with farmers. The administration, now in its second dry season since assuming office last year, expects to significantly scale up production by the third dry season later this year.

Beyond irrigation infrastructure, the government is rolling out direct interventions to strengthen farmer capacity. Selected farmers are receiving solar-powered boreholes, while water pumps have been distributed to organised farmer groups to enhance year-round production. Vegetable growers in the Eastern Region have also been assured of targeted support.

While acknowledging that producing an additional 200,000 to 300,000 metric tonnes will not immediately make Ghana self-sufficient, Mr Dumelo stressed that agricultural reform requires sustained research, trials, and gradual expansion. He added that the immediate objective is to cut tomato imports by 20 to 30 per cent within two years, with the long-term ambition of ending imports from neighbouring countries within five to six years.