Ghana is blessed with vast fertile soil, abundant sunshine and river; however, the production of vegetables is limited to some few ecological zones.
Tomatoes, as one of the vegetables is usually grown in the coastal areas; Ada, Keta and mid-Ghana; Ashanti and Bono regions. At the coastal belt, the production of tomatoes is once in a year while in the mid-belt, it’s twice.
Ghana has diverse ecological zones, which are suitable for the growing of tomatoes; however, production is low.
The production of tomatoes is often affected by pests and diseases especially the bacterial wilt and blossom-end rot, and climatic stresses such as drought and saline soils.
Despite the challenges, Ghana can overcome by adopting efficient strategies such as the improvement of local varieties, which do not meet market demands.
The local varieties are watery, soft and have short shelf life.
The need for right seeds cannot be over-estimated.
These seeds are high yielding, high germination rate, and highly marketable.
Tomato
Tomato is an economically important vegetable in Ghana. It’s used in almost every meal and an important part of our cooking.
It can also be used in salads, as pasta and the cherry type chewed raw as a source of lycopene.
Ghana produces an average of eight tonnes compared to 18 tonnes by neighbouring Burkina Faso.
The imports from Burkina is a drain to the nation’s foreign exchange resources.
Ghanaian tomato varieties are watery and have a short shelf life compared to hybrid varieties from neighbouring countries such as Burkina Faso.
It is estimated that Ghana will need 806,000 tonnes of tomatoes; however, only 510,000 tonnes is produced.
This leaves a deficit of 300,000 tonnes. Ghana spent GH¢760 million annually on tomato imports, according to the Chamber of Agribusiness.
Furthermore, over GH¢250 million worth of locally produced tomatoes rot annually as a result of its short shelf life and lack of appropriate storage facilities.
The imported fresh tomatoes are hardy and have longer shelf life.
Deficit
The high deficit has resulted in the importation of fresh tomatoes from Burkina Faso.
Recently, there was an attack on Ghanaian tomato traders on their way from Burkina Faso coupled with the ban of imports from Burkina Faso.
This has created shortage of the produce in the country and various measures are being put forward to address the yearly cycle of tomato imports from Burkina Faso.
Strategies such as the importation of hybrid seeds to give to farmers and also the cropping of large acreages of the produce.
The hybrid tomato seeds are already in the market but they are very expensive and some do not do well when planted.
This has resulted in the planting of the hybrids by few farmers who can afford.
These hybrids cannot be recycled after use, therefore, increasing the cost of production as farmers have to buy new seeds every cropping cycle.
The problem of production is not only limited to increased cultivation or production, but the quality and durability of the varieties planted and shelf life.
The varieties planted by most Ghanaian farmers are not of quality, and thus, improved varieties should be developed, which can perform well under Ghanaian climatic conditions.
Methods
There are many breeding methods that can be employed to develop and improve the Ghanaian varieties.
The good news with the improvement is that the Ghanaian variety is acclimatised to our climate and does well compared to the foreign seeds.
Therefore, the improvement of the local varieties can help tomato varieties with desirable traits such as higher lycopene, longer shelf life, hardy, pest and disease resistance and also tolerance to climate stresses.
These varieties, when developed will be cheaper for the farmers to buy.
It is refreshing to hear of various interventions by the government to improve production, but the efficient and lasting solution is the development and improvement of local varieties.
The Minister of Agriculture, Eric Opoku, recent address to Parliament, buttressed the point that the major challenge in tomato production was the seed varieties used.
e said the government was in the process of securing different varieties of tomato seeds to distribute to farmers to boost production.
These measures are laudable, however, they cannot be sustained.
The best and lasting solution is the improvement of the local varieties to meet the standards of the market.
Governments over the years have paid deaf ears to supporting or funding of research.
However, that’s the best way to reduce or stop the over reliance on foreign seeds, which are expensive.
Therefore, there is the need to invest in research to produce new varieties to solve the tomato crises.
Currently, breeders from CRI-CSIR, BNARI-GAEC and WACCI-UG have produced and are in the process of developing more varieties that are high yielding and have desirable traits that meet consumer demands.
I urge the government to invest more fund in these institutions to develop Ghanaian varieties to meet market demands and reduce or eliminate imports.
With right support for research in the development of tomato seeds, which are climate adapted, Ghana can be self-sufficient and this can create more jobs for the youth and reduce or stop imports.
The writer is a tomato farmer.
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Source:
www.graphic.com.gh