The Managing Director of the Irrigation Company of Upper Region (ICOUR), Dominic Anarigide, says Ghana has the capacity to meet its tomato demand despite the anticipated impact of Burkina Faso’s export ban.
He noted that while the restriction may affect availability and prices in the short term, the country previously produced enough tomatoes locally and can return to that level with the right interventions.
Mr. Anarigide made the remarks in an interview with Gerard Asagi on A1 Radio’s Daybreak Upper East.
“Years ago, Navrongo was known for its quality tomatoes; the Navrongo tomato. If anyone was in the region and they wanted quality tomatoes, it was Navrongo they had to go to and that was produced under ICOUR. But it came to a time when the market was a problem for them because the women [traders] were moving to Burkina Faso. Also, diseases came in. And this affected the yield and incomes of farmers,” he recalled.
He said tomato production in the region was further undermined by challenges linked to the Pwalugu Tomato Factory, where farmers produced in anticipation of a ready market that did not materialise.
“The time the Pwalugu tomato factory came in place, farmers were encouraged to produce. Most of them went into taking loans from the banks and other things but they were not able to sell all that they produced. The government was also not able to absorb the quantities at the time. The farmers went into losses and many of them swore never to go into tomato production while some also took their lives,” he said.
Mr. Anarigide indicated that addressing these past challenges—particularly market access and production risks—will be key to reviving the sector.
He said ICOUR is already engaging farmers and encouraging renewed interest in tomato cultivation.
“When the issues happened, we began talking with farmers. We have already begun enlisting those who are interested in going into tomato production this year. Many of them are already indicating interest. Some farmers have even left their plots to fallow so that they would be able to use it for tomato farming,” he said.
According to him, the Ministry of Food and Agriculture and its partners have also held high-level discussions to develop a strategy to address the challenges facing the sector.
However, he cautioned that restoring production will take time and cannot be achieved within the two-week window before Burkina Faso’s export ban takes effect.
A1 Radio | 101.1 Mhz | Mark Kwasi Ahumah Smith | Bolgatanga
