With domestic demand nearly double local production, and nearly half the harvest never reaching consumers, the tomato sector’s losses represent both a national crisis and an industrial opportunity.

Ghana produces approximately 380,000 tonnes of tomatoes annually. It needs more than 800,000. And between 30 and 45 percent of what it does grow spoils before it ever reaches a consumer.

These figures – drawn from FAO and Chamber of Agribusiness Ghana data – were cited on Joy Business Masterclass during a wide-ranging interview with Maame Adwoa Asiedu, CEO of Ntoswura. The conversation also served as the opening salvo in Joy FM’s month-long agribusiness conversation in partnership with FAGE.

“That is exactly why we are here – to process the tomatoes that are getting spoiled into paste,” Maame said. “We do not have adequate cold chain. We must add value at source.”

A crisis of waste and imports

The numbers are stark. Ghana imports tomatoes to make up the deficit – including significant volumes from Burkina Faso – even as domestic produce rots in transit, in markets, and in the absence of processing infrastructure. Cold chain penetration in Ghana’s tomato sector remains critically low, and industrial tomato processing capacity falls well short of what is needed to absorb seasonal surpluses.

Ntoswura’s model speaks directly to this gap. By partnering directly with local farms, selecting tomato varieties suitable for paste – denser, heavier cultivars rather than salad tomatoes, which Maame distinguishes with precision – and processing within the country, the company is helping to reduce post-harvest losses while building a branded consumer product that competes with imported alternatives.

Where the opportunity is greatest

The key producing regions with the greatest potential include the Northern, Upper East, Ashanti, Bono, Eastern, Volta, and Greater Accra regions. Ntoswura is currently sourcing from Bono and the Volta Region, with plans to expand its farm network.

For Maame, the business case is as much patriotic as economic.

“We are the first natural Ghanaian tomato product in this category,” she said. “All the natural alternatives consumers know are foreign brands. We are changing that.”

The price challenge

The challenge, she acknowledges, is price perception. Producing without preservatives, with locally sourced inputs and a functioning cold chain for distribution, is expensive. Consumers accustomed to cheaper imported products sometimes balk. Her answer is consistency, quality, and patience.

Industry observers note that imported tomato paste benefits from agricultural subsidies in export markets, making price competition difficult for local processors. Ntoswura is betting that Ghanaians will pay a premium for a preservative-free, locally made alternative.

Joy Agribusiness Month continues

The Joy Agribusiness Month, running through June 2026, will cover government policy and financing in Week One, research and mechanisation in Week Two, infrastructure and youth participation in Week Three, and horticultural value chains and food sovereignty in Week Four.

As Maame put it simply:

“Ghana spends more than $8 billion a year importing food it can produce at home. We cannot keep doing that.”

Ntoswura products are available at select retail outlets in Accra and Kumasi. Follow Joy Business on social media for more Agribusiness Month coverage.

The full interview on the Joy Business Masterclass is below