The Peasant Farmers Association of Ghana has urged the government to implement an immediate emergency response plan to avert a potential tomato shortage in the country following ongoing negotiations between Ghana and Burkina Faso over a temporary ban on exports.
Speaking at a World Bank CSO engagement on food security in Accra on Tuesday, March 24, President of the association Wepia Addo Awal Adugwala warned that failure in talks could lead to sharp price hikes, supply gaps, and added pressure on local producers.
“Within this period, the government should quickly set up an emergency strategic response plan with stakeholders to address the looming shortage of tomatoes, in case engagements with Burkina Faso prove futile,” Adugwala said.
He outlined a multi-phase approach, urging the government to increase land availability for irrigation, empower additional farmers, and strengthen market linkages through storage facilities, cold storage infrastructure, and an efficient output market system involving traders and transporters.
“In the long term, the government must aim at expanding irrigation infrastructure by establishing at least one major irrigation dam in every region. We should aim at increasing our percentage of irrigable land from the current 10% to over 50% by 2028,” he said.
