Mavis Owureku-Asare

“Ghana’s religious adherence to the rules of the International Monetary Fund (IMF), the World Bank and the World Trade Organization (WTO) will not allow her to make the investments in the form of subsidy to guarantee market or export subsidies to her farmers. More so, she cannot protect Ghanaian farmers from the onslaught of cheap imports by way of tariffs and quotas imposition. So the best way to support these farmers is promoting local domestic processing.”

“To cut down on the importation, we need to invest in processing facilities. Alternative, inexpensive but efficient small-scale tomato processing methods are needed: 1) to absorb excess supply and enhance the value chain; 2) Reduce the country’s dependence on imported tomato paste and provide employment opportunities.”

“As tomato imports continue to rise in volumes, about 1,250 Ghanaian tomato farmers stand the risk of being pushed out of employment. According to The Peasant Farmers Association of Ghana (PFAG), over 700 tomato farmers have already been rendered unemployed as a result of the imports.”

“Yes, while consumers are enjoying their imported pastes, our local tomato farmers struggle to make a living. And it gets worse, our dependence on imported paste plays a role in rendering our farmers unemployed.”

“These challenges are creating enormous problems for farmers who are the suppliers of the raw materials. This problem is not only affecting farmers but the country as a whole. Ghana is ranked the second-largest importer of tomato paste in the world, we consume an average of 25,000 tonnes of tomato paste every year and that costs us about $25 million.”