The Minister of Food and Agriculture, Eric Opoku, has announced at a media engagement in Accra that the importation of tomatoes to Ghana will end soon.
According to him, the Government has initiated moves to procure 13 tonnes of different varieties of tomato seeds for distribution to tomato farmers across the country.
The seeds are improved varieties with an improved yield profile and an extended shelf life.
The intervention has become necessary following a widening gap between national demand and local production.
The annual national tomato requirement is estimated at about 806,000 tonnes, while current production stands at around 510,000 tonnes.
The deficit of nearly 300,000 tonnes of tomatoes is often filled through imports.
The minister expressed concern that, beyond the supply gap, low productivity per hectare remained a major challenge, stressing that while countries such as Burkina Faso recorded yields of about 18 tonnes per hectare, Ghana averaged only eight tonnes per hectare.
Mr. Opoku stressed that addressing the challenge would require a shift from expanding land under cultivation to improving yields through better seed varieties and enhanced farming conditions.
To address this, Mr. Opoku said the government was expanding irrigation systems across key farming zones to ensure all-year-round production.
Under the Vegetable Development Programme, irrigation projects are being implemented in parts of the Ahafo and Bono regions, where about 60 hectares of land each are being developed with water supply systems to support continuous cultivation.
Mr. Opoku said additional interventions included the rehabilitation of irrigation facilities at Dawhenya, where 500 hectares had been earmarked for tomato production, and Akumadan, where 100 hectares were being prepared for immediate cultivation.
The minister further disclosed that about 250 boreholes were being drilled nationwide to support vegetable farming, particularly in dry-season production areas.
He noted that access to reliable water sources would not only increase yields but also reduce farmers’ dependence on unpredictable rainfall patterns.
In an interview on the Hot Issues Program on Nyce FM, the Deputy National Coordinator for Feed Ghana Incharge Of Institutional Farming, Nana Asubonteng Frimpong, while acknowledging the contribution of farmers in addressing tomato shortage, urged farmers to collaborate with the government.
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