Tomato imports to decline within four months under govt plan – Eric Opoku

The Minister of Food and Agriculture, Eric Opoku, says government measures aimed at increasing local tomato production will begin showing significant results within the next four months, with the country expected to reduce its reliance on imported tomatoes.

According to the Minister, several interventions have been introduced to expand domestic tomato cultivation and reverse Ghana’s long-standing dependence on tomato imports, particularly from neighbouring Burkina Faso.

Speaking before Parliament’s Select Committee on Assurances, Mr Opoku said the government is committed to transforming the tomato sector and ensuring that locally produced tomatoes meet a greater share of national demand.

“We have started working on that challenge, and we are bent on reversing that story. Within the next three or four months, the results will be out there for Ghanaians to testify,” he said.

The Minister appeared before the committee to provide updates on commitments made by President John Dramani Mahama during the 2025 State of the Nation Address (SONA).

He explained that government is investing in irrigation infrastructure, including solar-powered boreholes, to enable farmers in major tomato-growing areas to produce throughout the year.

Mr Opoku noted that the interventions include drilling boreholes, installing solar-powered irrigation systems and fencing farms in areas where livestock intrusion poses a threat to crops.

He added that several irrigation projects are currently ongoing in key tomato-producing communities across the country.

“President Mahama himself has taken special interest in this, and he says that we should bring an end to the importation of tomatoes into this country, and we’ll do just that,” he stated.

Farmers Struggle Despite Lower Food Prices

Addressing concerns from the committee’s Chairman, Dominic Nitiwul, about declining food prices and their impact on farmers’ earnings, Mr Opoku acknowledged that while consumers are benefiting from reduced food prices, many farmers are struggling to recover their production costs.

He described the situation as a “good-bad” scenario in agricultural economics, where increased food production leads to lower prices for consumers but reduces farmers’ incomes due to excess supply.

The Minister contrasted the situation with the 2024 dry spell, when food shortages caused prices to rise sharply.

He explained that while consumers suffered during that period, farmers who had produce available benefited from higher market prices.

“The bad-good is when there is a shortage of food in the system, like we witnessed in 2024 because of the dry spell. Then food prices started going up. A lot of people were pushed into abject poverty because of the rising food prices,” he said.

“But the farmers who were able to produce little made a lot of money because of the rising prices. So, for the farmers, it was good, but for the nation, it was bad. Now we find ourselves as a nation in this situation. I am a farmer. I am suffering. But the nation is the beneficiary,” he added.

To support farmers affected by falling prices, Mr Opoku disclosed that government has presented proposals to President Mahama and Cabinet for consideration.

Among the measures being considered is the distribution of free fertiliser as an emergency intervention to encourage continued farming while government pursues longer-term solutions.

The Minister said expanding agro-processing and developing reliable markets will be critical to absorbing excess agricultural produce and ensuring stable incomes for farmers.

He warned that prolonged periods of low prices without adequate support could discourage people from engaging in farming and undermine efforts to achieve food security.

Prince Antwi

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