The Chief Executive Officer of the Chamber of Agribusiness Ghana, Anthony Morrison, has warned that Ghana’s tomato supply gap could widen to almost 400,000 metric tonnes when post-harvest losses are taken into account.

He said Ghana’s annual tomato demand is estimated at about 800,000 metric tonnes, against peak domestic production of approximately 510,000 tonnes, leaving a supply deficit of about 290,000 tonnes.

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Speaking in an interview with Channel One TV on September 16, 2026, Morrison said the situation becomes more challenging when post-harvest losses, estimated at between 20% and 30%, are factored into the country’s available supply.

His comments come shortly after the launch of the Ghana Tomato Self-Sufficiency Initiative (GHATSI), which seeks to produce 100,000 tonnes of tomatoes from more than 10,000 acres across 35 districts in 10 regions.

However, Morrison said the Chamber is concerned about the performance of some tomato seeds distributed to farmers under government-supported programmes.

“From our data that we are currently building up, there are already challenges with some of the seeds that have been distributed across the country.”

He cited parts of the northern regions and the Adan area, where some farmers have reportedly recorded poor results. He also pointed to farmers in Kpetoe, who have begun late-season tomato production after disappointing outcomes from earlier cultivation.

The Chamber says these concerns could affect the 100,000-tonne target if poor seed performance leads to lower yields, replanting, delays or additional costs for farmers.

Morrison also questioned the decision to implement the tomato self-sufficiency initiative through a single private-sector partner.

He also argued that other large-scale tomato producers and industry players should be brought into the programme to increase production capacity and reduce implementation risks.

“For me, that is a problem,” he stated.

“We need to be working as an inclusive system that governs key players to be able to address this,” he added.

Morrison also questioned whether the more than 10,000 acres identified under the initiative represent entirely new farmland or an expansion of acreage already under tomato cultivation.

He continued, “If they are already existing farmers, is their current crop size being increased? By what? Who is doing the data analysis?”

The concerns come as the government seeks to increase local tomato production and reduce Ghana’s dependence on imports. GHATSI is expected to gradually scale up production as part of efforts to build a year-round tomato value chain.

ANAS/MA

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