By Grace Zigah
The Minister for Food and Agriculture, Eric Opoku, has declared that the Mahama administration expects to end the dependence on imported tomatoes within the next four months, following a series of interventions aimed at boosting local production and achieving year-round cultivation.
Appearing before Parliament’s Select Committee on Assurances to account for commitments made by President John Dramani Mahama during the 2025 State of the Nation Address (SONA), the Minister expressed confidence that government policies already being implemented would soon produce visible results.
According to Opoku, Ghana has begun rolling out major interventions to increase domestic tomato production and reduce the country’s reliance on imported tomatoes, particularly from neighbouring Burkina Faso, which has for years remained one of the principal sources of tomato imports.
“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,” the Minister told the committee.
He explained that government’s strategy centres on expanding irrigation infrastructure to enable all-year-round farming in major tomato-producing communities across the country.
The interventions include the drilling of boreholes, installation of solar-powered pumping systems to irrigate farmlands and fencing of farms located in areas vulnerable to destruction by roaming livestock.
According to the Minister, several irrigation projects are already underway in key tomato-growing districts.
Opoku disclosed that President Mahama has personally taken a keen interest in the programme and directed the Ministry to ensure Ghana eventually becomes self-sufficient in tomato production.
“President Mahama 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 stated.
Beyond tomatoes, the Minister also addressed concerns over the sharp decline in food prices and the impact on farmers’ incomes following improved agricultural output across the country.
Responding to questions from the Chairman of the Committee, Dominic Nitiwul, Opoku admitted that while consumers are benefiting from cheaper food prices, many farmers are struggling because the increase in supply has pushed market prices below profitable levels.
He described the situation as a “good-bad” scenario in agricultural economics, explaining that abundant food production benefits consumers but hurts producers whose returns continue to decline.
He contrasted the current situation with the food shortages experienced in 2024 when prolonged dry spells reduced production, causing food prices to soar.
According to him, although farmers who managed to harvest crops during that difficult period earned significant profits due to higher prices, the country as a whole suffered because rising food costs pushed many households into hardship.
“The bad-good is when there is a shortage of food in the system, like we witnessed in 2024 because of the dry spell. Then food prices started going up. A lot of people were pushed into abject poverty because of the rising food prices. But the farmers who were able to produce little made a lot of money because of the rising prices. So, for the farmers, it was good, but for the nation, it was bad. Now we find ourselves as a nation in this situation. I am a farmer. I am suffering. But the nation is the beneficiary,” he explained.
To cushion farmers against falling commodity prices, Hon. Opoku disclosed that the Ministry has submitted proposals to President Mahama and Cabinet for consideration.
Among the immediate interventions under consideration is the distribution of free fertiliser to farmers to reduce production costs and sustain agricultural production while government pursues longer-term measures.
The Minister said government is also focusing on expanding agro-processing capacity and creating reliable markets to absorb surplus farm produce, improve value addition and guarantee stable incomes for farmers.
He cautioned that if producers continue to experience low prices without adequate government support, many could abandon farming altogether, threatening the country’s long-term food security objectives.
The Mahama administration has consistently identified agriculture as one of the key pillars of its economic transformation agenda, with renewed emphasis on irrigation, mechanisation, value addition and reducing the dependence on imported food products.
