As reality dawns on Ghana to invest in local tomato production and reduce imports, this zeal must also be backed by research, improved seeds, and the development of pest- and disease-resistant, market-preferred varieties, according to Dr. Frank Ackah, Senior Lecturer at the University of Cape Coast.
Speaking to The High Street Journal, Dr. Ackah emphasized that increasing domestic tomato production is not just a matter of expanding irrigation or planting more land. Without research-driven improvements in seed quality and variety selection, he said, Ghana’s tomato industry will continue to face yield losses, pest challenges, and market competition.
“Increasing production is not just about building irrigation facilities… it is about the use of quality seeds,” he said.
He highlighted that Ghanaian traders and market women often prefer tomatoes from Burkina Faso because they are hardier, have longer shelf lives, and resist pests and diseases better than locally produced varieties. In contrast, many Ghanaian tomatoes are highly susceptible to pests such as southern blight, a soil-borne disease that significantly reduces yields and threatens farm profitability.
Dr. Ackah stressed that the Ministry of Food and Agriculture, in collaboration with research institutions, must lead initiatives to develop improved tomato varieties that combine disease resistance, hardiness, and traits aligned with market demand. By doing so, locally grown tomatoes could better compete with imported produce and neighboring-country supply.
“If we don’t do the research, we will not get anywhere. If we don’t get good varieties, we will not get anywhere,” he warned.
He also emphasized the importance of combining research with farmer training and extension services. Even the best seed varieties, he said, will fail to deliver expected productivity unless farmers are equipped with the knowledge and skills to adopt them effectively.
The urgency for such interventions is underscored by Burkina Faso’s recent tomato export ban, which disrupted supply in Ghanaian markets and exposed vulnerabilities in the domestic sector. Dr. Ackah said the ban presents both a challenge and an opportunity: a prompt to strengthen research, seed development, and farmer capacity to ensure long-term sustainability.
He further highlighted that producing market-preferred, pest- and disease-resistant tomato varieties is not only a technical priority but a strategic necessity for food security, trader confidence, and farmer livelihoods. A coordinated approach combining research, seed improvement, and effective extension services, he said, is essential to transform the tomato sector and reduce reliance on imports.
