Tomato traders in the Sunyani Municipality are warning that the Bono Region faces an imminent shortage of fresh tomatoes, with prices already climbing in local markets following the suspension of exports by Burkina Faso and the departure of Ghanaian traders frightened by deadly attacks along the northern corridor.
Burkina Faso enacted the export suspension on March 16, 2026, directing an immediate nationwide halt to all fresh tomato shipments until further notice, a decision aimed at securing domestic supply for the country’s expanding tomato processing industry. Ghana had already suspended cross-border tomato trade in February after eight traders were killed in a jihadist attack in the northern Burkinabè town of Titao, triggering a sharp rise in prices at markets across the country.
At the Sunyani Daily Market, the impact is now visible. Nana Yaa Konama, Leader of the Tomato Sellers Association in the municipality, said prices had been rising steadily and some customers were already switching to tomato paste as fresh supplies became harder to source. She said traders were no longer willing to make the journey to Burkina Faso regardless of the ban. “The road is no longer safe and we cannot risk our lives again,” she said, adding that recent incidents that reportedly led to the deaths of some Ghanaians had further deepened the fear among traders.
Konama called on the government to construct irrigation facilities and provide incentives to local growers to produce fresh tomatoes throughout the year, arguing that dependence on cross-border supply was a structural vulnerability the country could no longer afford. She also appealed to the Crops Research Institute (CRI) to supply farmers with climate-resilient tomato seedlings, noting that many local varieties were watery, perishable, and poorly suited to year-round production conditions.
She maintained that Ghana’s tomato farmers had the capacity to meet domestic demand if they received adequate and sustained support. A second trader at the market, who identified herself only as Madam Elizabeth, confirmed the price increases and called on the government to make tomato farming more attractive to unemployed youth by providing financial and logistical backing.
Food and Agriculture Minister Eric Opoku said last week that Ghana’s annual tomato requirement stands at approximately 805,000 metric tonnes while domestic production is around 510,000 metric tonnes, leaving a significant shortfall. He attributed the gap to low yields rather than a lack of farmland, noting that farmers in Burkina Faso produce roughly 18 metric tonnes per hectare compared to Ghana’s average of eight metric tonnes per hectare.
The government has said new tomato varieties developed by the Crops Research Institute of the Centre for Scientific and Industrial Research (CSIR) are being introduced to farmers as part of efforts to improve the competitiveness and productivity of locally grown tomatoes.
