The Irrigation Company of the Upper Region (ICOUR) is shifting its approach to tomato production by linking farmers to buyers before cultivation begins, in an effort to reduce the risk of farmers producing without guaranteed markets.
Managing Director of ICOUR, Dr Dominic Anarigide, said the new model will connect farmers directly to identified off-takers who will provide inputs, technical support and a ready market for their produce.
“We are now anchoring the farmers with an off-taker,” he said.
Under the arrangement, participating farmers will produce according to agreed standards and specifications, with off-takers committed to purchasing their harvest.
Dr Anarigide said the approach marks a shift from farmers producing tomatoes before searching for buyers, a practice that has exposed them to market uncertainty and potential losses.
ICOUR has earmarked 500 hectares under the Tono and Vea irrigation schemes for tomato production as part of efforts to revive commercial tomato farming in the Upper East Region.
Before inputs and financing are provided, farms will be validated to ensure participating farmers meet the requirements of the programme.
Farmers will also receive technical support to enable them to produce tomatoes that meet the quality and other specifications required by the identified buyers.
Dr Anarigide said the approach is intended to address some of the challenges facing tomato farmers, including access to financing, diseases and unreliable markets.
The company hopes that linking production directly to demand will reduce farmers’ market risks and support increased tomato production under the Tono and Vea irrigation schemes.
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