Isaac Adongo supports farmers with inputs to increase local tomato production

The Member of Parliament for Bolgatanga Central, Isaac Adongo, has launched a registration exercise for farmers in the constituency as part of efforts to support dry-season cultivation of tomatoes and pepper.

The initiative, being implemented under the MP’s Grassroots Integrated Agriculture Support Programme (GIASP), is aimed at creating employment opportunities, improving household incomes and increasing food production in the constituency.

Under the programme, participating farmers are expected to receive support in the form of fertiliser, seedlings, tractor services and irrigation assistance. The initiative is being implemented in collaboration with the Irrigation Company of Upper Region (ICOUR) and the Department of Food and Agriculture.

Mr. Adongo said he had already secured about 2,000 bags of MPK fertiliser and provided four tractors to support farmers with land preparation.

He also disclosed that he had committed GH¢50,000 towards the dredging of canals serving farming communities along the Vea irrigation system.

According to him, pumping machines would also be provided to farmers who depend on small dams and other water sources that have been dredged under his initiative.

Speaking to the media during an interaction with farmers in the Bolgatanga Municipality, Mr. Adongo said the intervention was part of efforts to create alternative employment opportunities for young people while reducing Ghana’s dependence on Burkina Faso for tomatoes.

“We have to find different pathways to create employment. And one of them is dry-season agriculture, where we are known for cultivating tomatoes and pepper,” he said.

He explained that the support package would cover land preparation, irrigation, fertiliser and seedlings, with technical guidance from ICOUR and agricultural officers.

Mr. Adongo said the registration exercise would help determine the number of farmers interested in participating in the programme and the acreage available for cultivation.

He said the information gathered would subsequently be used to develop a production calendar to guide the distribution of inputs and other support.

“By the time the registration is done, we’ll have a fair idea of the acreage that we are going to farm, and we’ll have an idea of the level of support that we are going to provide,” he said.

The initiative comes amid persistent challenges confronting Ghanaian tomato traders who travel to Burkina Faso to obtain supplies.

In February 2024, three Ghanaian tomato traders died in a road accident at Mogtinga in Burkina Faso, while eight others sustained injuries. In February 2026, seven Ghanaian tomato traders were reportedly killed by suspected JNIM Islamist militants in the northern Burkinabè town of Titao.

Restrictions on the movement of fresh tomatoes from Burkina Faso have also affected supplies to Ghana, heightening calls for increased domestic production.

Mr. Adongo said expanding dry-season tomato and pepper production in Bolgatanga Central could help reduce the risks associated with cross-border tomato trading while strengthening food security and improving the incomes of farmers.

“Over the years, I have been supporting the farmers in the Vea Canal enclave. But often the support has been in the form of helping to dredge the waterways,” he explained.

He noted that the Vea irrigation infrastructure had not undergone significant renovation since its construction decades ago, leaving farmers dependent on periodic interventions to maintain the canals.

The Bolgatanga Municipal Chief Executive, Roland Atanga Ayoo, welcomed the initiative, describing it as an opportunity to engage unemployed young people in agriculture.

Mr. Ayoo said the programme could benefit farmers in communities including Vea, Zaare, Yorogo, Yikene and Sumbrungu, while helping to reduce the migration of young people to southern Ghana in search of employment.

He acknowledged challenges with the condition of some irrigation canals but said the MP was prepared to support efforts to open them up and facilitate the flow of water to farms.

The Managing Director of ICOUR, Dr. Dominic Anarigide, said the organisation would support the programme with seeds and water, while the MP would assist with land preparation, fertiliser and the rehabilitation of canals.

“The help of the MP will ensure that a lot more people are getting involved in farming and it will increase our land under cultivation,” Dr. Anarigide said.

He said the intervention would not only increase agricultural production but also create direct and indirect employment for farmers and other service providers within the agricultural value chain.

He added that increased production of tomatoes and other vegetables would contribute to food security while improving the incomes of farming households.

Mr. Adongo said the dry-season farming initiative was one of several components of his broader GIASP programme.

Other components include the establishment of 20 craft centres for women and skills training for young people in areas such as hairdressing and sewing.

He said the overall objective was to create sustainable economic opportunities for households across Bolgatanga Central while strengthening the constituency’s contribution to food security and reducing reliance on imported agricultural produce.