Ghana’s annual tomato import bill has reached GH¢760 million
Ghana’s annual tomato import bill has reached GH¢760 million, a significant drain on foreign exchange for a country blessed with fertile land and a long farming tradition.
Yet despite this spending, market prices remain high and households continue to struggle.
At a local market recently, a woman stood quietly calculating her purchases. A few pieces of ginger were selling for GH¢5. Pepper and garlic prices were equally unsettling.
By the time she finished buying basic ingredients for soup, her budget had not just been exhausted, it had been exceeded. She adjusted her basket, removed an item, and walked away.
This is not an isolated experience. It is becoming normal. And it exposes a contradiction at the heart of Ghana’s food system: we are spending hundreds of millions importing tomatoes, yet consumers still struggle to afford everyday staples.
If Ghana were producing enough tomatoes locally at scale, the import bill would shrink, and supply would increase, helping stabilize prices. Instead, the continued dependence on imports suggests that domestic production has not reached the level needed to ease pressure on consumers.
The GH¢760 million figure, reported by the Chamber of Agribusiness Ghana (CAG), highlights the scale of the challenge. It is not merely a trade statistic. It represents money leaving the economy for a crop that can be grown in several parts of the country.
The Ministry of Food and Agriculture (MoFA) has a clear mandate: ensure food security and build a resilient agricultural sector capable of feeding the nation first.
Industrial expansion and value addition are important. Export growth is necessary. But they must stand on a solid foundation of reliable domestic production and affordable prices.
To its credit, MoFA has outlined several interventions for 2026, distribution of improved seeds for maize, rice, tomato and pepper; expansion of mechanisation services; strengthening irrigation governance; fertilizer regulation; youth agribusiness support; digital agricultural platforms; and agro-processing investments, including a $90 million shea processing factory.
These initiatives show activity. But activity is not the same as impact.
If improved tomato seeds are being distributed at scale, domestic output should begin to reduce import dependence in measurable terms.
If mechanisation is expanding, productivity gains should reflect in market supply.
If irrigation systems are being strengthened, seasonal price spikes should gradually moderate.
Yet the market tells a different story. Tomato prices remain volatile. Pepper and ginger fluctuate beyond the comfort of ordinary buyers. Poultry continues to rely heavily on imports.
And households stretch their budgets further each week.
This is not an argument against industrialisation. Ghana must move up the value chain, create jobs and generate foreign exchange. But sequencing matters. When food inflation directly affects household survival, strengthening domestic production of staple crops must be treated as urgent, not secondary.
Heavy reliance on food imports does more than strain wallets. It increases pressure on foreign exchange reserves and exposes the economy to global price shocks and currency fluctuations.
When global supply chains tighten or exchange rates weaken, domestic food prices feel the impact almost immediately.
Food security, therefore, is not just an agricultural issue. It is an economic stability issue.
Citizens do not measure agricultural success by policy documents. They measure it at the market stall, in the price of tomatoes, pepper, ginger and poultry. They measure it by whether they can buy enough ingredients without exceeding their weekly budget.
If Ghana is serious about reducing its food import exposure, then interventions must translate into visible increases in supply within clear timelines. Irrigation expansion must move beyond announcements.
Input costs must become manageable for farmers. Post-harvest losses must be reduced through better storage and logistics. Market coordination must improve so that gluts in one region do not coexist with shortages in another.
The GH¢760 million tomato import bill is more than a headline. It is a signal that domestic production has not yet matched national potential. It is a reminder that ambition must be matched by execution.
Industrial growth and export ambitions are important for long-term transformation. But before celebrating factories, processing plants or export statistics, Ghana must ensure that ordinary families can afford the basic ingredients of daily meals.
The question is no longer whether policies exist. The question is whether they are delivering results where it matters most, in kitchens, markets and household budgets across the country.
Food security is not a side objective. It is the foundation of economic resilience. And a ministry called Food and Agriculture must consistently ensure that food truly comes first.
Source:
www.ghanaweb.com