National Democratic Congress (NDC) Chairman Johnson Asiedu Nketia has urged Ghanaian tomato farmers to transition toward varieties suitable for industrial processing, arguing that a mismatch between what farmers grow and what factories need is costing the country both produce and foreign exchange.
Speaking during the Greater Accra Region Thank You Tour, Asiedu Nketia pointed out that while farmers frequently produce large tomato surpluses, they still struggle to find buyers, even as Ghana continues to import tomatoes and processed tomato products. He explained that the disconnect stems from factories requiring specific paste-grade varieties that most local farmers do not currently grow.
“Even when tomatoes are produced locally, there is often an oversupply and difficulty in finding buyers. The real issue is that, despite our tomato production, Ghana still imports tomatoes. Factories that use tomatoes require a specific type, so unless we grow that particular variety, our tomatoes end up rotting while other tomatoes are imported,” he said.
The NDC Chairman called on agricultural stakeholders to identify precisely what varieties industries and hotels require so that farmers can align production with market demand. He argued that producing the right tomato varieties for processing would support local factories, reduce unnecessary imports, and create employment for young Ghanaians.
The remarks come at a sensitive moment for Ghana’s tomato supply chain. Eight Ghanaian tomato traders were killed in a jihadist attack in Burkina Faso in February while sourcing cheaper produce across the border, an incident that drew sharp criticism of the structural gaps in domestic food production and reignited debate about Ghana’s continued dependence on foreign tomato supplies despite having a significant domestic farming base.
Ghana currently imports hundreds of millions of dollars in food products annually, including processed tomato paste, that analysts say the country has the agricultural capacity to produce locally.
