Tomato farmers at Abansere in the Berekum West District have appealed to government for urgent intervention as large quantities of harvested produce rot on farms due to inadequate buyers, threatening livelihoods and investments.
The farmers expressed distress over their inability to recover costs despite earlier assurances that a local tomato processing factory would purchase their produce if they cultivated specific varieties. Market prices have collapsed dramatically, leaving many growers facing debt and financial ruin.
Solomon Dwaase, Chairman of the Berekum Tomato Farmers Association, revealed that some farmers invested up to GH₵80,000 this season, yet buyers now offer between GH₵100 and GH₵150 per crate. This represents a catastrophic decline from the previous price of GH₵1,500 per crate, reducing returns by approximately 90 percent.
The drastic price drop has pushed many farmers into debt while threatening the sustainability of tomato production in an area that was specifically developed to supply the Weddi Africa Tomato Processing Factory. The facility, commissioned in August 2021 under the One District One Factory (1D1F) initiative, was established with $16 million in government financing to process 40,000 tonnes of fresh tomatoes annually.
Frimpong George, another farmer from the area, said some colleagues had abandoned their farms over loan repayment pressures, while others had expressed suicidal thoughts due to the severe financial strain. The psychological and economic toll on farming communities has become a major concern as the crisis deepens.
The Weddi Africa facility was intended to anchor a tomato outgrower farmers association comprising 2,000 registered farmers from the Tano North District in Ahafo Region and Berekum West in Bono Region. Farmers received support with seeds, fertilizers and technical services from government agencies to ensure factory sustainability and create steady markets for growers.
Despite these arrangements, farmers now question why the local factory cannot absorb their produce as originally promised. The situation has exposed vulnerabilities in market linkages and contract farming arrangements that were supposed to provide guaranteed offtake for growers who switched to factory-specified varieties.
The crisis comes as government launched the Feed Ghana Programme in April 2025, an ambitious initiative aimed at boosting local food production and reducing Ghana’s $2 billion annual food import bill. Agriculture Minister Eric Opoku has specifically targeted ending the estimated GH₵4 billion spent annually importing tomatoes from Burkina Faso.
In September 2025, government demonstrated intervention capacity when President John Dramani Mahama directed that tomatoes and onions from bumper harvests in Asante Akim North District be supplied to senior high schools, preventing post harvest losses. That move showed how agricultural production could be integrated into social services like school feeding programs.
However, similar support has not yet reached Berekum farmers, who urged government to provide ready markets, strengthen the Feed Ghana initiative and halt tomato imports from neighboring countries, which they argue worsen their plight by flooding domestic markets with cheaper alternatives.
Madam Ama Serwaa, a buyer operating in the area, said traders also face difficulties, noting that market forces determined the low prices and left them with minimal profit margins. The collapse affects the entire value chain, from producers through traders to consumers, though farmers bear the heaviest burden.
Ghana loses between 30 and 40 percent of agricultural produce to post harvest losses annually, with highly perishable crops like tomatoes particularly vulnerable. The Berekum crisis underscores persistent challenges in cold storage infrastructure, transportation logistics and market coordination that undermine production gains.
The Crops Research Institute (CRI) of the Council for Scientific and Industrial Research (CSIR) introduced Berekum West growers to improved varieties called CRI Kwabena Kwabena and KOPIA tomatoes in August 2023. These varieties feature early maturity of 55 days, good shelf life of 18 to 22 days after color break, and tolerance to blight diseases, with potential yields of 20 tonnes per hectare.
However, improved varieties alone cannot solve market access problems. Farmers need guaranteed offtake arrangements, functioning processing facilities and storage infrastructure to convert production increases into sustainable incomes.
The farmers are appealing for swift government action to prevent further losses and sustain tomato production in the area. Without intervention, the crisis threatens to reverse progress made under the 1D1F initiative and discourage farmers from participating in government agricultural programs.
The situation has broader implications for Ghana’s food security agenda. If farmers producing priority crops under government initiatives cannot find markets or recover investments, achieving self sufficiency targets becomes increasingly difficult despite policy commitments and financial allocations.
