The last National Democratic Congress (NDC) administration, led by John Dramani Manama, has pledged to transform Ghana's economy, diversify exports, and ensure value addition to create more jobs starting from January 2025.
Key initiatives include building two factories in the Bono Region—a tomato processing plant and a cashew processing plant—to boost local production and employment. Furthermore, the NDC administration plans to establish factories in each region based on their unique comparative advantages, including operationalising the Komenda Sugar Factory, reviving the Pwalugu Tomato Factory, and restoring the Zuarungu Meat Factory.
Tomato processing in Ghana
According to an expert report published released by Ghanaian press in December 2022, approximately 300,000 metric tonnes of tomatoes are grown in Ghana annually, with 90% consumed domestically. Three-eighths of all vegetable spending in Ghana goes toward the ubiquitous tomato due to its central role in local Ghanaian cuisines. The Roma VF, Laurano, Raki, Chocó TP, Power Rano, Rasta, Italy Heinz, Cherry, and Petomech cultivars are among the most widely planted in Ghana because of their suitability for processing into tomato paste.
Tomatoes are a fixture in every Ghanaian household, hotel, and restaurant, driving a rise in the daily demand for tomato products in every region of the country. The 210-gram tin of tomato paste is the best seller in Ghana’s retail tomato paste market. Unfortunately, Ghana’s tomato processing industry is still quite modest, and the country relies significantly on imports to meet demand. Over the past four years, about USD 25 million worth of tomato paste has been spent annually in Ghana, or over 32,000 metric tonnes, but the quantities imported have declined significantly over the past 10 years.
Two year ago, the FAO estimated that “Ghana’s processing capacity for fresh tomatoes per day was 1,400 metric tonnes. Even at full capacity, the three operating tomato processors would only be able to process 438,000 metric tonnes of fresh tomato into 54,750 metric tonnes of tomato paste annually (assuming a paste of 36-38% Brix, requiring 8 metric tonnes of fresh tomato per tonne of paste), leaving Ghana with a deficit in its supply of tomato paste due to the country’s high demand (over 100 000 tonnes per year)”.
Sources: ghanaweb.com, agrictoday.com.gh
