Govt targets end to Burkina Faso tomato imports within six years; aims for 300,000-tonne dry-season output — Deputy Agric Minister

Government aims to end tomato imports from Burkina Faso and other neighbouring countries within the next five to six years while increasing dry season production to about 300,000 metric tonnes this year, the Deputy Minister for Food and Agriculture, Mr John Dumelo, has said.

Speaking in a radio interview on Joy FM on Wednesday, February 18, 2026, Mr Dumelo said Ghana’s annual demand for tomatoes stands at about 800,000 metric tonnes, and efforts are underway to raise domestic output, particularly during the dry season.

“Our yearly demand is almost 800,000 metric tonnes. And hopefully by the end of this year, we should be doing about 200,000 or 300,000 metric tonnes, especially in the dry season,” he said.

Mr Dumelo said even with increased production, the country would not attain self-sufficiency immediately, but sustained research, field trials and infrastructure work would reduce reliance on imports over time.

“If we continue how we are doing now in terms of the trials and the research and everything that we are doing, I should think that in about five or six years, we should stop the total importation of tomatoes from Burkina Faso and neighbouring countries,” he said.

Mr Dumelo said trials with different tomato varieties are ongoing at several irrigation sites to determine those suitable for commercial cultivation.

He cited the Akumadan irrigation scheme in the Ashanti Region, the Tono Dam area under the Food Systems Resilience Programme and an irrigation facility in Garu as locations where work is underway.

He said he would visit some of the irrigation schemes between Thursday and Friday to assess progress and noted that harvesting had begun in some areas.

Mr Dumelo added that the administration is in its second dry season since assuming office last year and expects further expansion by the third dry season later this year.

He said attention is being given to irrigation systems, farmer organisation, storage and processing across the production chain. “We cannot concentrate on one and isolate the others. All the sectors of the value chain have to be greatly strengthened,” he said.

Mr Dumelo disclosed that selected farmers across the country would receive solar-powered boreholes in the coming months to support dry-season farming.

He also said that more than 1,000 water pumps seized by the Ministry of Lands and Natural Resources were distributed to farmers across several regions last year for irrigation.

He said he met with vegetable farmers on the Kpong Plains two days before the interview and assured them of government support to increase dry-season production.

Mr Dumelo added that farmers are being encouraged to form cooperatives so assistance and inputs reach them in an organised manner.

On irrigation expansion, Mr Dumelo said feasibility studies had been completed for some projects and financing arrangements were being pursued. He added that some work had begun and details would be shared in the coming days.

Mr Dumelo’s remarks come amid concern following the killing of Ghanaian traders in Burkina Faso and fears among tomato traders about travel to the country, which has long served as a source of fresh tomatoes for the Ghanaian market.

Mr Dumelo said he met the Deputy Minister for the Interior on February 17, 2026, to discuss the matter.

He said Ghana’s Interior Ministry is in talks with security authorities in Burkina Faso to provide protection for Ghanaian traders who travel there to buy tomatoes.

“Our security jurisdiction ends at the border. And after that, it’s taken over by the officials there. And so that’s the kind of talks that we are into,” he said, adding that a clear plan is expected in the coming days.

He said local farmers are being encouraged to increase production, though this would take two to three months, meaning some tomato imports from Burkina Faso would continue in the interim.

On other food commodities, Mr Dumelo confirmed that some import permits for maize and rice have been put on hold due to excess local stocks on the market.

“There’s some level of restriction going on,” he said, explaining that continued imports do not serve a purpose when local produce remains unsold.

Mr Dumelo said the National Buffer Stock Company has not yet bought all available maize, and a large quantity remains on the market, though he did not give figures.

He stressed the need to strengthen buffer stock operations and expand processing capacity during bumper harvest periods to limit post harvest losses.

He added that the Minister for Food and Agriculture, Mr Eric Opoku, has cut sod for a tomato processing plant in Asante Akyem North, which is expected to become operational this year, while the government also seeks private sector participation to expand processing.

He said tomato prices, market stability and farmer incomes are tied to how quickly domestic production, storage and processing improve and how cross border trade risks are managed.