Gov’t supports farmers for large-scale dry-season tomato cultivation to boost supply – Dumelo

Deputy Minister for Food and Agriculture, John Setor Dumelo, has said tomato prices are expected to fall sharply in the coming weeks as local farmers begin harvesting their produce.

He said the expected increase in domestic supply would help address the recent shortages that have contributed to high tomato prices on the Ghanaian market.

“The prices of tomatoes should see a sharp decline in the coming weeks as Ghanaian farmers have started harvesting,” Dumelo said in a social media post on Monday, September 7.

The deputy minister also disclosed that the government is supporting farmers for large-scale dry-season tomato production to ensure a more consistent supply between December 2026 and June 2027.

He said preparations for the dry-season production had already begun, particularly in the northern parts of the country where lands have largely been cleared for farming.

According to him, nursing and transplanting of tomato seedlings are expected to begin from October ahead of the main dry-season production period.

The initiative forms part of efforts to reduce seasonal shortages and improve the availability of tomatoes on the local market.

The Ayawaso West Wougon MP said the government is also supporting farmers with irrigation infrastructure and other inputs to enable them to produce tomatoes during the dry season.

“We have provided solar powered boreholes as well as irrigation inputs to farmers to actively pursue dry season tomato farming to augment the shortfalls next year,” he said.