The Minister of Food and Agriculture, Eric Opoku, has announced that government is investing in the development of a new high-yield tomato variety to boost local production and reduce Ghana’s reliance on imports.

Addressing the tomato production shortfall, the Minister revealed that Ghana currently faces a shortfall of approximately 300,000 metric tons before achieving self-sufficiency.

Speaking on the floor of Parliament on Wednesday, March 25, he stressed the importance of identifying the root causes of low productivity to implement effective solutions.

“While our counterparts in Burkina Faso are producing 18 tonnes per hectare, Ghana averages only eight tonnes,” he said. “The challenge lies primarily in the seed varieties used for tomato production.”

To tackle this, the Ministry has partnered with WAKI Farms in Lagos and several research institutions to develop a new tomato variety capable of yielding over 20 tonnes per hectare.

According to the Minister, resources have already been committed to ensure the project delivers a lasting solution to Ghana’s tomato production challenges.

“The assurance from our partners is that this new variety can produce more than 20 tonnes per hectare so we are committing them to ensure that we develop that variety to bring lasting solution to the probem,” Mr. Opoku said.