Ghana Aims to Produce Up to 300,000 Metric Tonnes of Dry Season Tomatoes Within Three Years – Dumelo

Ghana is targeting the production of between 200,000 and 300,000 metric tonnes of tomatoes over the next two to three years, with a strong focus on dry season cultivation to reduce the country’s heavy reliance on imports, Deputy Minister for Food and Agriculture John Dumelo has announced.

Mr. Dumelo said the initiative forms part of a broader strategy to strengthen local production through irrigation expansion, research into improved varieties, and direct support for farmers.

Ghana’s annual tomato demand stands at nearly 800,000 metric tonnes. According to the Deputy Minister, increasing dry season output will significantly cut the import bill in the short term.

“Hopefully, within the next two to three years, we should be producing about 200,000 to 300,000 metric tonnes, especially during the dry season,” he said.

Mr. Dumelo acknowledged that previous efforts to achieve self-sufficiency in tomato production had faced challenges, but stressed that renewed investments in irrigation and research are already showing promise.

Across the country, trials are underway at several irrigation facilities to identify high-yielding and climate-resilient tomato varieties suitable for commercial production. He revealed plans to tour some of these project sites to assess their progress, noting that harvesting has already begun in certain areas.

He highlighted ongoing trials at the Komadan irrigation scheme in the Ashanti Region, the Tono Dam in the Upper East Region under the Food Systems Resilience Programme (FSRP), and irrigation facilities in Garu.

The Deputy Minister explained that the current administration is entering its second dry season since taking office last year, expressing optimism that production will scale up significantly by the third dry season.

In the immediate term, government aims to reduce tomato imports by 20 to 30 percent within two years.

Beyond irrigation projects, authorities are providing practical support to farmers. Selected producers are receiving solar-powered boreholes, while water pumps have been distributed to farmer groups to boost dry season farming. Mr. Dumelo said he recently engaged vegetable farmers in the Eastern Region to discuss strategies for expanding output.

While admitting that producing an additional 200,000 metric tonnes would not make Ghana fully self-sufficient, he emphasised that agricultural transformation requires time, research, and sustained investment.

He likened the tomato strategy to government efforts to revamp the poultry sector, noting that similar reforms take years to yield full results.

However, Mr. Dumelo expressed confidence that continued trials, research, and infrastructure development could enable Ghana to eliminate tomato imports from neighbouring countries such as Burkina Faso within five to six years.

“If we stay the course with the trials and research we are undertaking, I believe that within five or six years, we should be able to stop importing tomatoes entirely,” he stated.