Ghana is spending about US$168 million every year on tomato imports, while a bacterial disease outbreak has pushed the country’s dependence on imported ginger beyond 99 percent, exposing deep weaknesses in domestic horticultural production.
The figures, presented by researchers at the Council for Scientific and Industrial Research (CSIR), show the foreign exchange cost of Ghana’s inability to meet demand for two widely consumed agricultural commodities.
The researchers disclosed the data during the second session of the 2026 Ministry of Environment, Science, Technology and Innovation (MEST) Visibility Webinar Series, held under the theme “CSIR’s Interventions on Tomato and Ginger.”
Tomato production falls far short
Dr Michael Kwabena Osei, Principal Research Scientist and vegetable breeder at the CSIR Crop Research Institute, said Ghana’s annual demand for fresh and processed tomatoes exceeds 1.4 million metric tonnes.
Local farmers currently produce only about 15 to 18 percent of that requirement.
The resulting gap is being filled largely through imports. Ghana brings in between 100,000 and 120,000 tonnes of fresh tomatoes each year, mainly from Burkina Faso, at a cost of about US$18 million.
Processed tomato imports add another US$150 million to the bill. These products, sourced largely from China and Europe, are equivalent to roughly 400,000 to 450,000 tonnes of raw tomatoes.
More than 60 percent of fresh tomato imports arrive between November and April, when domestic production drops sharply during the dry season.
Dr Osei said the situation was difficult to justify given Ghana’s estimated more than 400,000 hectares of arable land suitable for tomato cultivation.
The bigger problem is productivity. Average yields stand at only seven to 10 tonnes per hectare, against potential yields of between 20 and 80 tonnes under improved varieties and better farming practices.
Seed and irrigation remain weak points
Researchers identified poor access to quality seed, limited irrigation, declining soil fertility, pests, diseases and inadequate extension services among the main constraints.
Ghana’s dependence on imported planting material is particularly worrying.
More than 85 percent of tomato seed planted by farmers is commercial hybrid seed, according to Dr Osei.
“A country that imports its seed will always import its food,” he said.
Irrigation infrastructure is also being underused. Of the 15,000 hectares covered by 22 public irrigation schemes, only about 9,000 hectares are currently being utilised.
That leaves farmers heavily exposed to seasonal rainfall and helps explain the sharp rise in imports during the dry season.
Ginger sector hit by disease
Ghana’s ginger industry presents an even more dramatic case of import dependence.
Domestic demand increased from approximately 18,000 tonnes in 2020 to between 30,000 and 32,000 tonnes in 2025.
But a bacterial wilt outbreak in 2022 devastated local production. Ghana now depends on imports for more than 99 percent of its ginger requirements.
The country spends about US$500,000 annually importing ginger, mainly from China, Nigeria and Burkina Faso.
Consumers and businesses have also felt the impact through prices.
A sack that sold for about GH¢250 in 2022 had climbed to around GH¢4,000 by 2025 and reached approximately GH¢6,000 or more by the time of the webinar.
Researchers said the disease can spread through infected planting materials, poor drainage, heavy rainfall, monocropping and contaminated farm equipment.
CSIR pushes recovery measures
CSIR researchers are proposing disease resistant varieties, disease free planting materials produced through tissue culture, stronger surveillance and improved extension services to rebuild the ginger sector.
For tomatoes, they are calling for greater investment in certified seed production, irrigation, soil improvement, mechanisation and protected cultivation.
Dr Osei has also proposed establishing a Tomato Board by 2028 and a dedicated Horticultural Research Institute by 2030 to coordinate research, seed development, processing, financing and market integration.
The figures point to a broader economic problem. Ghana has the land and consumer demand, but production systems remain too weak to capture the market.
Reducing the tomato import bill and rebuilding ginger production would therefore do more than improve food security. It could keep millions of dollars in the domestic economy, strengthen farmer incomes and create stronger local processing chains.
For CSIR, the task is to turn Ghana’s agricultural potential into production that can compete with the imports now filling the shelves.
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