Ghana is set to officially launch the Ghana Tomato Self-Sufficiency Initiative on Tuesday, September 15, 2026, as the government steps up efforts to increase local tomato production and reduce the country’s dependence on imports.
The national launch, according to an announcement by the Ministry of Food and Agriculture (MoFA) and FarmMate Africa, will take place at the Anlo Senior High School Park in Anloga in the Volta Region at 10:00 a.m.
The initiative is being spearheaded by the Ministry of Food and Agriculture in collaboration with FarmMate Africa and forms part of broader efforts to strengthen Ghana’s vegetable production and food security.
The launch comes months after MoFA and FarmMate Limited signed a Public-Private Partnership agreement aimed at scaling up tomato production across the country.
Under the partnership, the tomato out-grower scheme is expected to expand to about 40,000 acres, with a target of producing approximately 400,000 metric tonnes of fresh tomatoes annually. The programme will also be supported by processing facilities with a combined capacity of about 480 tonnes per day, capable of producing an estimated 200,000 tonnes of tomato puree annually.
The partnership is also expected to establish packhouses, pre-processing centres and logistics hubs to improve the handling, storage and distribution of tomatoes and reduce post-harvest losses.
Food and Agriculture Minister Eric Opoku has previously described the initiative as a major intervention to reduce Ghana’s reliance on imported tomatoes, address price fluctuations and create a reliable market for local farmers.
Ghana continues to face a significant gap between domestic tomato production and demand. The Peasant Farmers Association of Ghana has estimated annual demand at about 800,000 metric tonnes, while local production has ranged between 370,000 and 420,000 metric tonnes, leaving a substantial shortfall that is largely met through imports.
The country’s dependence on imported tomatoes has also exposed consumers to supply disruptions and price increases, particularly when imports from neighbouring Burkina Faso are affected.
In June, the National Coordinator of the Feed Ghana Programme, Bright Demordzi, said government was already working with private-sector companies and farmer groups across about 40 production locations to expand tomato cultivation and move the country towards self-sufficiency.
The new initiative is therefore expected to complement these efforts by increasing production, improving processing capacity and creating more predictable markets for farmers.
Beyond meeting domestic demand, the programme is expected to generate employment opportunities across farming, aggregation, transportation, processing and distribution.
Previous projections under the MoFA-FarmMate partnership indicated that the expanded value chain could create more than 300,000 direct and indirect jobs.
The September 15 launch in Anloga is expected to formally set the initiative on course as government and private-sector partners seek to build a more resilient tomato industry capable of supplying Ghanaian consumers throughout the year.
Ghana|Atinkaonline.com|Mavis Fantevi
