Ghana’s tomato, ginger shortfalls deepen import bill, CSIR researchers say 

Ghana’s tomato imports alone exceed US$230 million annually, while a disease-driven collapse of ginger has left the country 99 per cent import-dependent, Council for Scientific and Industrial Research (CSIR) researchers have said, urging a research-led recovery.

These include the rapid evaluation of existing crop varieties, the production of certified seeds, training programmes for farmers, the establishment of solar powered boreholes, improvements in soil quality, the creation of mechanisation hubs, and the implementation of protected cultivation techniques Dr Osei said Ghana also needed a Tomato Board by 2028 and a dedicated Horticultural Research Institute by 2030 to coordinate research, seed development, processing, financing and market integration.

Dr Richard Yaw Agyare, vegetable breeder at the CSIR Savannah Agricultural Research Institute, indicated that northern Ghana, particularly the Upper East Region, once played a leading role in national tomato production but many irrigation sites now produced little tomato.