Tomato traders say a persistent production gap is crippling the local supply chain, forcing them to depend on imports and exposing them to external shocks.

Speaking on PM Express, President of the Tomato Importers Association, Eric Tuffour, painted a bleak picture of domestic tomato production, blaming poor irrigation systems for the annual shortfall.

His comments come amid fresh concerns following Burkina Faso's decision to suspend exports of fresh tomatoes to protect its local processing industry.

The development has disrupted supply routes and heightened fears among Ghanaian traders, some of whom were recently caught in violence in Titao, where lives were lost.

Mr Tuffour said the root of the crisis lies within Ghana’s own farming system, which fails to sustain production for most of the year.

“May to December every year, we have problems with Ghanaian farmers as they can’t grow tomatoes because of a lack of irrigation,” he said.

He explained that the challenge is not limited to a single region but spans several key tomato-producing areas.

“It’s not only the Upper East farmer who normally used to grow tomatoes for the market. It is also grown in Dormaa Ahenkro, Asante Akyem Agogo, Begoro, Tuobodom and other areas that are tomato-growing places, but when you get there, the irrigation is very poor,” he added.

According to him, the lack of reliable irrigation means farmers cannot produce consistently, leaving traders with little choice but to look beyond Ghana’s borders.

The situation has become more urgent following Burkina Faso's export ban, a key supplier to Ghana’s markets. Traders now face supply uncertainty, rising costs and heightened risk.