Josiah
Ghana has launched an ambitious programme to produce 400,000 tonnes of tomatoes every year from more than 40,000 acres of farmland, with the initiative expected to create over 600,000 direct and indirect jobs when fully implemented.
The Ghana Tomato Self-Sufficiency Initiative (GHATSI) was launched at Anloga and is aimed at ending the country’s recurring cycle of tomato shortages and surpluses.
The programme will bring together farmers, financiers, irrigation providers, processors and markets to support tomato production throughout the year.
For the 2026/27 production season, the first phase targets 100,000 tonnes of tomatoes from more than 10,000 acres, covering 35 districts, 10 regions and more than 100 communities.
Food and Agriculture Minister Eric Opoku said the first phase could create more than 150,000 jobs, including about 50,000 year-round positions.
At full implementation, the programme is expected to generate more than 600,000 jobs, with about 200,000 of them being year-round opportunities.
The jobs will cover the entire tomato value chain, including nursery operations, land preparation, irrigation, farming, aggregation, packaging, transportation, warehousing, processing, finance, insurance, distribution and retail.
“This is why tomato self-sufficiency is also a youth-employment opportunity,” Mr Opoku said.
According to the Minister, Ghana currently faces an estimated 300,000-tonne shortage in domestic tomato supply during the December-to-July off-season.
He said the challenge goes beyond production, pointing to weak coordination between farmers, markets and processing facilities.
Under GHATSI, planting will be staggered across the northern, middle and southern production belts to ensure that tomatoes are harvested at different times of the year.
The long-term goal is to expand production from the initial 10,000-plus acres to more than 40,000 acres, resulting in annual production of about 400,000 tonnes.
As processing capacity expands, up to 200,000 tonnes of the crop could eventually be processed into tomato puree and other value-added products.
Private-sector implementation partner FarmMate Ltd says it already has about 4,000 acres of organised tomato production either underway or entering production.
Founder and Chief Executive Officer Sena Amevor said the company’s out-grower programme currently covers more than 80 tomato-growing communities in 40 districts across 12 regions, with plans to expand to more than 130 communities.
About 200 acres planted in Anloga in May and June are already being harvested, while additional farms have been established in areas including Ada East, Ningo-Prampram, Shai-Osudoku, Asunafo South, Offinso North, Bawku West, Talensi and Kassena Nankana.
Mr Amevor said the company’s experience had shown that increasing production alone would not solve Ghana’s tomato challenges.
He said farmers also needed access to finance, technical support, insurance, reliable markets, aggregation, processing and logistics.
FarmMate is also expanding processing capacity to provide an outlet for tomatoes when fresh-market demand is low.
The company’s tomato processing facility at Legon in Accra is expected to begin operations this month, with an initial processing capacity of 1.5 to five tonnes per hour.
Operating across three shifts, the facility could process up to 120 tonnes of fresh tomatoes in 24 hours, producing tomato puree under the company’s CountryFresh brand.
FarmMate also plans to establish semi-processing facilities in major tomato-producing areas.
Meanwhile, the government is working towards the rehabilitation of the Pwalugu Tomato Factory.
Mr Amevor said increased processing capacity would help farmers avoid losses when the fresh market cannot absorb their produce.
The estimated GHATSI farmer package is about GH¢20,000 per acre, covering inputs, land preparation, soil testing, technical assistance, insurance and other production costs.
Participating farmers are expected to access financing through Pan-African Savings and Loans, with repayment linked to structured off-take arrangements.
The programme will also provide multi-peril crop insurance and a proposed pension arrangement under which an agreed portion of farmers’ earnings will be saved after harvest.
Government plans to support irrigation expansion through initiatives including solar-powered borehole-irrigated land banks.
A packhouse planned for Anloga will also support the sorting, grading, packaging and marketing of tomatoes.
Mr Opoku said the success of GHATSI would ultimately be measured by the volume of tomatoes produced and processed, improvements in farmer incomes, reductions in imports and post-harvest losses, as well as the number of jobs created.
The initiative forms part of the government’s broader Feed Ghana Programme and Vegetable Development Project, with the goal of reducing Ghana’s dependence on imported tomatoes, ensuring year-round domestic supply and eventually creating an exportable surplus.
Source: Omanghana
