Tomato Farmers Call For Reorganisation Of Factory Board

Stakeholders in the tomato industry in the Upper East Region have called for immediate steps to establish an independent board and management for the Northern Star Tomato Factory (NSTC) at Pwalugu.

That, they said, would facilitate the effective and efficient running of the factory.

The Focal Person for the Ghana Trade and Livelihood Coalition, a farmer advocacy group, Mr Richard Ananga, told the Daily Graphic that the absence of efficient management at the NSTF was a serious threat to the growth and sustenance of the tomato value chain, not only in the region but also the entire country.

He said most of the farmers were diverting to the production of other crops during the dry season mainly because they were not certain about the availability of a ready market for their produce.

“As I speak to you today, majority of the farmers have diverted to the production of other crops such as rice, onions, pepper, among others,” he said.

He said as a result of pest attacks last year, only a few farmers around the Vea Dam area in the Bongo District ventured into tomato production this dry season.

Responding to that concern, the Regional Crop Officer at the Upper East Regional Directorate of the Ministry of Food and Agriculture, Mr Joseph Beni Walier, said the shift to other crops by the farmers “is an integrated cropping system evolved by the farmers to reduce risk, since nematode infestation has been an age-old problem in the area”.

Again, in order to avoid post-harvest losses, the farmers had conducted their own market survey and that might have informed their decision to divert to other crops, he said.

Touching on the way forward for the tomato sector in the region, Mr Ananga, who is also the Advocacy, Training and Research officer for Trade Aid Integrated, said apart from the establishment of a board for the NSTF, his organisation had developed a road map for the sector.

He said there were plans to help restructure and register small-scale tomato farmers within the catchment area of the factory into recognised groups.

Among other suggestions, he said, was the establishment of an input supply arrangement and credit facilities lines for small-scale farmers to enable them to produce.

A farmer, Mr Ahmed Bogobire, in a separate interview, painted a gloomy picture, emphasising that due to low patronage of their produce last season, many farmers had advised themselves and diverted to other crops that guaranteed them profit.

While welcoming the idea for the establishment of a permanent board of directors with a fair representation of farmers, he also echoed the need for the government to float shares and enable farmers to have a stake in the NSTF to ensure the efficient running of the plant.

Although the Upper East Regional Minister, Mr Mark Woyongo, had assured this reporter in an earlier interview of the readiness of the factory to handle the purchase of produce from farmers this season, the farmers themselves are sceptical and have indicated that they are not ready to risk losing out by venturing into tomato production this season.