FarmMate Limited, an agricultural services company, has entered into a Public-Private Partnership (PPP) agreement with the Ministry of Food and Agriculture (MoFA) to scale up tomato production and strengthen Ghana’s vegetable value chain.
A statement issued by FarmMate said the agreement is aimed at accelerating tomato self-sufficiency through a private sector-driven model, supported by government coordination and policy backing.
Under the initiative, an out-grower scheme will be expanded to cover approximately 40,000 acres, with a projected annual output of about 400,000 metric tonnes of fresh tomatoes.
The move is to significantly reduce Ghana’s reliance on imported tomato products.
The programme will also be supported by processing facilities with a combined daily capacity of 480 metric tonnes.
These facilities are projected to produce around 200,000 metric tonnes of tomato puree annually, helping to absorb excess production and reduce post-harvest losses.
According to the statement, the initiative is designed to stabilise tomato supply throughout the year, creating a more predictable and balanced market environment for both farmers and consumers.
To improve efficiency across the value chain, the project will deploy critical post-harvest infrastructure, including packhouses, pre-processing centres, and logistics hubs.
These investments are expected to enhance handling, storage, and distribution of fresh produce.
The partnership is also projected to generate more than 300,000 direct and indirect jobs across various segments of the value chain, including production, aggregation, logistics, processing, and distribution.
Ghana’s annual tomato demand is estimated at about 805,000 metric tonnes, while current production stands at roughly 510,000 metric tonnes, leaving a supply deficit of nearly 300,000 metric tonnes.
This gap continues to drive imports, even as farmers face significant losses during peak harvest periods.
FarmMate noted that the introduction of a structured system of guaranteed off-take would ensure farmers have a reliable market for their produce. This, it said, would improve income stability and encourage increased productivity.
The company has therefore called on key stakeholders including farmers, processors, financial institutions, and development partners to support the initiative and help scale up operations across the tomato value chain.
