The Food and Beverages Association of Ghana (FABAG) has called for the scrapping of the Ministry of Agriculture if the country cannot produce basic commodities such as tomatoes.

Chairman of FABAG, John Awuni, argued that Burkina Faso’s recent suspension of tomato exports, which has left Ghanaian traders anxious over shortages, exposes deep policy failures in Ghana’s agricultural sector.

Speaking to GhanaWeb Business, Awuni stressed that the Ministry has failed in its core mandate if it cannot mobilize the nation to produce within two to three months.

“Tomatoes are a short-cycle crop. With irrigation and proper seed varieties, harvesting begins within 60 to 90 days. If the Ministry were proactive and results-oriented, Ghana could immediately launch a national emergency tomato programme and begin harvesting within three months,” he stated.

He further stated that, “If after all these resources Ghana still cannot produce tomatoes to feed its people, then the problem is not farmers, not land, not climate — the problem is leadership and policy direction.”

Burkina Faso’s ban, announced in a joint communiqué on March 16, 2026, was signed by Industry Minister Serge Gnaniodem Poda and Agriculture Minister Commandant Ismaël Sombie.

Why Burkina Faso banned the export of tomatoes – Dr Otokunor explains

It suspends all fresh tomato exports “until further notice” to protect domestic processing units. Existing export authorisations will expire two weeks after the directive.

Meanwhile, the Government of Ghana through the Ministry of Trade, Agribusiness and Industry has announced plans to engage authorities in Burkina Faso over the country’s decision to suspend the export of fresh tomatoes, a move expected to impact tomato supply on the Ghanaian market.

The government reiterated its commitment to working with stakeholders to boost local tomato production under the “Feed Ghana” and “Feed the Industry” programmes, aimed at increasing output to meet demand on the domestic market.

Below are the demands of the Food and Beverages Association of Ghana:

1. Declare a National Tomato Emergency Programme
2. Distribute improved tomato seeds nationwide within 2 weeks
3. Provide subsidized fertilizer and agro chemical
4. Activate all irrigation schemes for dry season tomato farming
5. Mobilise youth groups for commercial tomato farming
6. Provide guaranteed price for tomato farmers
7. Support greenhouse tomato production
8. Revive tomato processing factories
9. Provide cold trucks and storage facilities to reduce post-harvest losses
10. Set a target for Ghana to become tomato self-sufficient within one year

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