Ghana’s Ministry of Trade, Agribusiness and Industry has confirmed that Burkina Faso has lifted its six-week suspension on fresh tomato exports, ending a supply disruption that drove market prices to record highs and forced households and food businesses across the country to adapt their spending and cooking habits.
Burkina Faso halted tomato exports on March 19, tightening supply in Ghana and triggering price hikes across several major markets. In a statement issued on April 2, the Ministry of Trade, Agribusiness and Industry said the reversal followed sustained diplomatic engagement between the two countries. “This development is a positive outcome of ongoing bilateral engagements between Ghana and Burkina Faso,” the Ministry stated.
The removal of the restrictions was influenced by one of five key meetings held by Trade Minister Elizabeth Ofosu-Adjare and her Burkinabe counterparts during the World Trade Organization’s 14th Ministerial Conference (WTO MC14) in Yaoundé, Cameroon.
The government said the decision by Burkina Faso follows improvements in tomato supply to local processing factories, as well as commitments by stakeholders to prioritise domestic industrial needs. The Ministry indicated it will continue to engage Burkinabe authorities and industry stakeholders to ensure a smooth and predictable trading environment.
The Chairman of the Tomato Importers Association, Eric Osei Tuffuor, welcomed the development and commended the Trade Minister for her efforts. A deputy minister also confirmed that cross-border purchasing can now resume, stating that the ban had been fully lifted and traders can now import tomatoes from Burkina Faso again.
The disruption arrived at the worst possible time for Ghana’s market. Tomato prices at Makola and Agbogbloshie markets in Accra had more than tripled at wholesale level since the supply corridor collapsed, with a large basket that previously sold for GH¢3,000 rising to between GH¢8,000 and GH¢9,000. Retail quantities previously sold at GH¢300 were fetching between GH¢700 and GH¢800.
Ghana spends close to $100 million annually on tomato imports from Burkina Faso, making the northern neighbour the country’s primary source of fresh tomatoes, particularly during the lean season from December to May when domestic harvests are absent.
The government used the occasion to signal a longer-term policy direction. Efforts to strengthen Ghana’s domestic tomato value chain are being intensified under the Feed the Industry and Feed Ghana programmes, with interventions including expanded irrigation systems, large-scale farming support, and strengthening linkages between farmers and processors to reduce long-term import dependence.
The original ban was driven by Burkina Faso’s ambition to secure raw materials for newly established tomato processing factories, part of that country’s strategy to promote value addition and industrial self-sufficiency. Trade analysts note the episode illustrates the structural tension between Ghana’s reliance on cross-border agricultural flows and the growing industrial priorities of its West African neighbours.
