Ghana is losing hundreds of millions of dollars in foreign exchange every year because domestic production of tomatoes and ginger has failed to meet national demand, according to researchers at the Council for Scientific and Industrial Research (CSIR).
The researchers say the country now spends about US$168 million annually on fresh and processed tomato imports, while a disease outbreak has left Ghana more than 99 percent dependent on imported ginger, exposing the country to rising food prices and external supply shocks.
The figures were presented during the 2026 Ministry of Environment, Science, Technology and Innovation (MEST) Visibility Webinar Series, where scientists outlined the growing economic cost of Ghana’s dependence on imported horticultural products.
Tomato imports dominate the market
According to Dr Michael Kwabena Osei, Principal Research Scientist and vegetable breeder at the CSIR Crop Research Institute, Ghana’s annual tomato requirement exceeds 1.4 million metric tonnes, but local farmers supply only 15 to 18 percent of national demand.
As a result, the country imports between 100,000 and 120,000 metric tonnes of fresh tomatoes each year, mainly from Burkina Faso, at a cost of about US$18 million.
Even larger is the processed tomato market, where imports from China and Europe are equivalent to 400,000 to 450,000 metric tonnes of raw tomatoes, costing approximately US$150 million annually.
Combined, fresh and processed tomato imports cost Ghana about US$168 million every year.
Researchers say the situation is particularly pronounced during the November-to-April dry season, when domestic production declines sharply and imports surge.
Untapped production potential
Dr Osei argued that Ghana has the capacity to produce significantly more tomatoes, noting that more than 400,000 hectares of arable land are suitable for tomato cultivation.
However, average yields remain between seven and 10 tonnes per hectare, well below the potential range of 20 to 80 tonnes per hectare achievable with improved seed varieties, irrigation and better farming practices.
CSIR identified several constraints affecting productivity, including limited access to quality seed, inadequate irrigation, declining soil fertility, pests and diseases, and weak agricultural extension services.
The researchers also expressed concern that more than 85 percent of tomato seed planted in Ghana is imported commercial hybrid seed, increasing production costs and making farmers vulnerable to external supply disruptions.
“A country that imports its seed will always import its food,” Dr Osei said.
Ginger production collapses
The ginger sector has experienced an even more severe setback.
Ghana’s ginger demand increased from about 18,000 tonnes in 2020 to 30,000–32,000 tonnes in 2025, but a bacterial wilt outbreak in 2022 caused domestic production to collapse.
The result is that Ghana now imports almost all of the ginger it consumes, spending about US$500,000 annually on supplies from China, Nigeria and Burkina Faso.
The production collapse has triggered sharp price increases.
A sack of ginger that sold for about GH¢250 in 2022 rose to around GH¢4,000 in 2025 and had reached approximately GH¢6,000 or more by the time of the webinar.
Researchers said the disease spreads through infected planting materials, contaminated farm equipment, poor drainage and monocropping, and called for stronger disease surveillance and the development of disease-resistant ginger varieties.
Call for structural reforms
CSIR is proposing a range of interventions, including certified seed production, expanded irrigation, soil improvement, mechanisation and protected cultivation.
The institute has also recommended the establishment of a Tomato Board by 2028 and a Horticultural Research Institute by 2030 to coordinate research, seed development, processing, financing and market integration.
The researchers argue that reducing import dependence is not only an agricultural issue but also a macroeconomic one, as greater domestic production could retain foreign exchange, strengthen local value chains and improve food security.
For Ghana, the challenge is no longer simply increasing agricultural output—it is converting the country’s production potential into commercially competitive farming that can replace imports and reduce pressure on the economy.
