The Ministry of Food and Agriculture (MoFA) and FarmMate LTD, a private tomato production and processing company, have signed a memorandum of understanding (MoU) to scale up tomato production and ensure the abundance of vegetables for the country.
The agreement, signed at MoFA in Accra yesterday, formed part of a strategic Public-Private Partnership between the government and FarmMate, which would see the government provide enabling support and coordination, while FarmMate leads the implementation, production and value chain operations.
The arrangement, which would take off this year, is expected to scale up to 40,000 acres nationwide, a significant rise from the 1,000 acres earlier implemented by FarmMate last year.
It is targeting the production of 400,000 tonnes of fresh tomatoes annually, supported by 20 tonnes per hour processing capacity backed by packhouses, pre-processing centres and logistics hubs across key zones.
It would also deliver 200,000 tonnes of tomato puree annually.
It is also projected to yield an output of 600,000 tonnes of fresh tomatoes for the Ghanaian market annually.
Impact
Speaking at the signing of the MoU, the sector minister, Eric Opoku, described the agreement as a bold attempt to reduce drastically the importation of fresh tomatoes into the country.
He said the intention was to reduce the post-harvest losses, estimated at around 30 per cent and also to create ready markets for our farmers to serve as motivation for more farmers and producers to go into vegetable cultivation.
“The implementation of the programme will significantly reduce Ghana’s import dependence, address price volatility, reduce losses during glut periods and ensure availability during lean periods,” the Food and Agriculture Minister said.
Mr Opoku added that the agreement and the implementation of the project would strongly impact jobs and livelihoods, as it would support thousands of farmers, create over 300,000 jobs across the value chain, with strong focus on youth training and apprenticeships.
The food and agriculture minister also stressed that, it would “ensure guaranteed off-take for farmers, improve incomes, productivity and confidence to scale, deliver consistent quality supply for traders, processors, and consumers.”
Mr Opoku urged schools, especially senior high schools and Ghanaians in general, to grow tomatoes and other vegetables in their backyard gardens to augment their vegetable needs which would also impact the demand of vegetables and reduce its consequent price hikes across the country.
Concerns
For his part, the Founder and Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of FarmMate LTD, Sena Amevor, lamented the annual $500 million tomato import bill of the country, stressing that the new large-scale initiative by FarmMate would achieve national tomato self-sufficiency.
He indicated that the country currently relied on imports valued at approximately $500 million annually to meet domestic needs, with an estimated supply deficit of nearly one million tonnes during the lean supply period from December to July.
At the same time, Mr Amevor explained that the sector suffered post-harvest losses of about 150,000 tonnes between August and November due to limited processing, storage and preservation capacity.
Since 2021, he said FarmMate had been implementing an integrated tomato value chain model that combined a nationwide enhancement-driven out-grower scheme operating across more than 60 major tomato-growing communities, with value addition through agro-processing and an expanding distribution infrastructure.
The model, he said, had consistently delivered quality tomatoes throughout the year and provided farmers with inputs, technical guidance and guaranteed off-take arrangements.
Under a PPP framework with the government, Mr Amevor said, FarmMate and its partners would expand the out-grower scheme to 40,000 acres, targeting an annual output of approximately 400,000 tonnes of fresh tomatoes.
“This production scale will be complemented by the establishment and operationalisation of combined processing facilities with a total capacity of 20 tonnes per hour or 480 tonnes per day, delivering an estimated 200,000 tonnes of 100 per cent tomato puree annually,” he stated.
Source:
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