The Food and Beverages Association of Ghana (FABAG) has issued a blunt ultimatum to the Ministry of Food and Agriculture, warning that the institution has no justification for its existence if it cannot organise nationwide tomato production within 90 days, following a supply crisis triggered by Burkina Faso’s ban on tomato exports to Ghana.
FABAG President John Awuni, speaking on Adom FM, described the crisis as a reflection of deep-seated weaknesses, poor planning, and policy failure within Ghana’s agricultural sector, saying it was unacceptable that a country with vast farmland, irrigation dams, agricultural colleges, research institutions and a full ministry cannot produce enough tomatoes to feed its own people.
In a formal statement, the association called the country’s continued dependence on external sources for a basic food commodity a national security risk, not merely an agricultural problem.
FABAG’s case rests heavily on the agronomic reality that tomatoes are a short-cycle crop. The association pointed out that with proper irrigation and suitable seed varieties, tomatoes can be harvested within 60 to 90 days after planting, meaning any claim that Ghana cannot resolve the shortage quickly amounts to an admission of policy failure and leadership failure.
The association is calling for a package of emergency measures, including a national tomato programme, rapid seed distribution, subsidised inputs, activation of irrigation schemes, mobilisation of unemployed youth into commercial tomato farming, revival of tomato processing factories, and investment in storage and transportation infrastructure to reduce post-harvest losses. It has also set a one-year target for Ghana to achieve full tomato self-sufficiency.
If the Ministry fails to organise production at scale within two to three months, FABAG says government should seriously consider restructuring it into a production-focused agricultural authority with clear output targets and accountability mechanisms.
The ultimatum puts Agriculture Minister Eric Opoku in a difficult position. He has since responded publicly, saying the ministry is not idle but that government procurement and funding approval processes must be followed before large-scale interventions can be deployed. The minister also revealed that President John Mahama personally directed the sector to accelerate its response after the Burkina Faso ban took effect.
The crisis has placed renewed focus on a long-standing structural vulnerability: Ghana’s reliance on its northern neighbour for tomatoes, peppers and onions despite possessing the land, water and institutional infrastructure needed to produce these commodities domestically.
