Tomato farmers at Anloga lament lack of ready market, storage facilities

Tomatoes farmers in the Anloga District of the Volta Region have expressed frustration over lack of ready market and storage facilities for their farm products in the area to help boost income and resources.

They said the challenges faced have threatened the future sustainability of tomatoes farming and foundation for other farming businesses.

Semabia Agbenyefia, a farmer at Anloga- Avume, told the Ghana News Agency (GNA) in an interview that a heavy post-harvest losses have been the challenge encountered by many farmers with tomatoes rotting away within days due to a glaring lack of storage facilities and ready market.

“Our other biggest issue here is that some buyers have drastically reduced the market price, where a box of tomatoes which supposed to sell GH₵1,050 is now sells as low as GH₵ 80 and GH₵ 70, making profitability an uphill battle,” he said.

He advocated for establishment of tomato processing factories in the area to help solve some of the pressing challenges faced with damages and expressed believed that it could be the game-changers in preserving the products and create much-needed jobs for youths and the public.

Ghana Free Zones Authority backs passage of Special Economic Zone Act

He explained that climate change such as hot weather characterised by drought with unpredictable rainfall and others wreaked havoc on the crops failure and crippling financial losses.

“The absence of ready market and proper storage facilities remains a critical pain point for us; it significantly contributes to the post-harvest woes. We are being forced to sell our product under unbearable conditions,” Agbenyefia said

Cecilia Seshie, another famer, told the GNA that the challenges with ready market and storage facilities demand urgent action and feared that without any robust support, the tomato farming practices would collapse in the area which could result in greater disasters such as hunger and unemployment.

She said many have invested about GH₵2,000 to GH₵5,000 into the farming with the hope that the harvest would yield more profit to enable them pay children school fees, landlords, and other expenses, and the losses would create more dept if not address quickly.

The farmers are pleading to the government, philanthropists, groups of companies, stakeholders, leadership of farmers’ associations and other individuals to help solve the challenges to save their farming to improve productivity.

Watch the latest edition of BizTech below: