The Ministry of Food and Agriculture has targeted to end tomato imports from Burkina Faso estimated at GH₵4 billion annually with the launch of the Feed Ghana programme.

According to the Minister of Food and Agriculture, Eric Opoku, the government is targeting this through a wide-range agricultural programme that also includes new irrigation projects, a soya processing plant, and a decentralised buffer stock system.

In an interview with Citi FM, on Monday, April 14 2025, Mr Opoku said the measures are part of the government’s Agriculture for Economic Transformation Agenda, which was launched by President John Dramani Mahama over the weekend.

“Every year, we spend GH₵4 billion on the importation of tomatoes from Burkina Faso. If Burkina Faso is able to produce tomatoes, why is it that we cannot do it here in Ghana, in spite of the fertile soil that we have and all the agricultural endowment,” Mr Opoku questioned.

He announced that a new vegetable production initiative, referred to as the “Eurybia” project, would target tomatoes, pepper, and onions.

“We import onion from Niger, which is estimated around GH₵240 million annually. We also spend close to GH₵3 billion on the importation of pepper,” Mr Opoku said.

He added that the government is working with a vegetable processing company to help absorb produce from local farmers.

According to the minister, eight regions have been selected for the first phase of an irrigation development plan under the “Irrigation for Wealth Creation” programme. This phase will cover 10,000 hectares of land.

Mr Opoku also announced a partnership between the Ministry of Food and Agriculture and a private investor to establish a soya bean processing plant in the northern part of the country. The government will take a 40 percent stake in the facility.

To help address post-harvest losses and improve market access, Mr Opoku said the Ghana National Buffer Stock Company has been restructured and its operations decentralised to regional offices.

“We have a team in place. The policy document was generated, and we have invited AGRA to be part of it to finalise everything for us.

The agriculture transformation plan also includes the establishment of 50 Farmer Service Centres across selected farming districts.

The first of these will be sited in the Atebubu-Amantin District, which the ministry has identified as one of the country’s leading food-producing areas.