Government to end tomato imports within four months – Agriculture Minister

The Minister of Food and Agriculture, Eric Opoku, has said government interventions to boost local tomato production are expected to deliver tangible results within the next four months, paving the way for Ghana to significantly reduce its reliance on imported tomatoes.

Appearing before Parliament’s Select Committee on Assurances on July 9, 2026, the minister explained that measures are already being implemented to increase domestic output, particularly to cut imports from neighbouring Burkina Faso.

“We have started working on that challenge, and we are bent on reversing that story. Within the next three or four months, the results will be out there for Ghanaians to testify,” he stated.

According to Opoku, government efforts include the construction of irrigation infrastructure to enable year-round tomato farming in key production areas.

These interventions involve drilling boreholes, installing solar-powered pumps, and fencing farms in areas vulnerable to livestock destruction. Irrigation projects are currently underway in several tomato-producing communities across the country.

He added that President John Dramani Mahama has taken a personal interest in achieving self-sufficiency in tomato production.

“The President himself has taken special interest in this, and he says that we should bring an end to the importation of tomatoes into this country, and we’ll do just that,” he said.

His comments come on the back of government’s broader agenda to strengthen domestic food production, improve agricultural self-sufficiency and reduce the country’s reliance on imported food commodities.

DR/SA