A tomato production partnership between the West Africa Food System Resilience Project (FSRP) and agribusiness firm FarmMate Ltd has recorded a successful first-round harvest of about 240 tonnes of tomatoes in the Upper East Region, marking a significant step toward stabilising tomato supply and prices in Ghana during the dry season.
The harvest forms part of targeted interventions by FSRP, a Ministry of Food and Agriculture (MoFA) programme, aimed at addressing Ghana’s perennial tomato shortages and sharp price fluctuations, particularly between December and May.
The initiative is supported by the Government of Norway and coordinated by the World Bank, with a focus on revitalising the local tomato value chain through dry-season production and improved market linkages.
Under the collaboration, tomatoes are cultivated using climate-smart agricultural practices and innovations, a hallmark of the FSRP approach. Farmers receive support in the form of improved seed varieties, blended fertilisers enriched with micronutrients, organic manure, pesticides (both organic and inorganic) and continuous extension advisory services.
Tomato farmers in crisis as their produce rot for lack of buyers
FarmMate complements this with close field monitoring, resident agronomists and guaranteed offtake of harvested produce.
From farms in the Upper East Region, tomatoes are transported within 24 to 36 hours to major markets in the Greater Accra Region, including Agbogbloshie and the Central Business Market (CMB), as well as premium outlets such as Palace Mall and Shoprite.
The FSRP–FarmMate collaboration covers 200 acres nationwide, with 110 acres located in the Upper East Region, engaging about 100 farmers across Zebila in the Bawku West District, Pwalugu in the Talensi District, the Tono Irrigation Scheme and Navrongo in the Kasena Nankana District. Other beneficiary locations include Ningo-Prampram, Okere, Kwahu East, the Akumadan Irrigation Scheme and the Asunafo South District.
Beyond FarmMate, the wider FSRP Tomato Support Programme is being implemented in 20 districts across six regions, involving 1,500 farmers, 40 percent of whom are women.
Current yields average about 10 tonnes per hectare, with projections of up to 15 tonnes per hectare by the end of the 2025 dry season. Overall, FSRP targets the production of 6,000 metric tonnes of tomatoes by the end of the intervention.
District Director of Agriculture for Bawku West, Diana Akumanue, praised the transparent marketing system introduced under the project.
“We are very happy because the tomatoes are weighed and farmers are paid according to weight, unlike the old system where market queens determined prices,” she said.
Farmers say this has translated into better incomes and reduced post-harvest losses.
Asigma Awafo, a beneficiary farmer, noted that improved agronomic practices such as nursing seedlings and transplanting in lines and the use of multiple fertiliser applications have significantly boosted yields.
“For the first time, marketers are weighing our tomatoes and paying us fairly. It has increased our income compared to the past,” she said.
According to Dr Gabriel Owusu, Project Officer coordinating the Tomato Initiative at FSRP, the programme is part of a broader regional effort.
“This is a regional project implemented across West Africa. Tomato is the most consumed vegetable, yet most of it is imported,” he explained.
Upper East Regional Crops Officer, Yakubu Mohammed Awal Mei-goro, added that the current harvest demonstrates the potential of structured support and assured markets to transform tomato farming in the region.
A FarmMate official said the company has deployed a resident agronomist and assistants to provide daily field support, helping farmers address emerging challenges quickly.
While early estimates suggest yields of about four tonnes per acre or more, the official acknowledged persistent challenges, including free-grazing animals, inadequate fencing, water constraints and pest pressure during the dry season.
Despite these challenges, FarmMate and its partners are optimistic. Plans are underway to expand operations, strengthen infrastructure, and deepen collaboration with the World Bank, the Norwegian government and other stakeholders to sustain and scale up dry-season tomato production.
Tomatoes account for about 40 percent of vegetable expenditure in Ghana, yet only 34 percent of the 1.4 million tonnes consumed annually are produced locally.
The shortfall leads to heavy imports and volatile prices.
Key challenges facing the industry include poor-quality seeds, climate variability, pest and disease pressures, weak agronomic practices, post-harvest losses of up to 60 percent and limited storage options resulting in average yields of just 8.3 tonnes per hectare, far below the potential of 20 tonnes.
FSRP, funded by the World Bank and coordinated by ECOWAS, is being implemented in eight West African countries.
In Ghana, the project seeks to strengthen food system resilience and improve preparedness against food insecurity through sustainable, climate-smart agricultural interventions.
AM
Also, watch below Amnesty International’s ‘Protect the Protest’ documentary as the world marks International Human Rights Day 2025
Source:
www.ghanaweb.com
