Tomato Import Bill Hits US$168m, Ginger Dependence Tops 99%
Ghana is spending about US$168 million every year on fresh and processed tomato imports, while a bacterial disease outbreak has left the country more than 99 percent dependent on imported ginger, researchers at the Council for Scientific and Industrial Research (CSIR) have disclosed. The figures have renewed concerns over Ghana’s growing reliance on imported food commodities despite the availability of arable land, irrigation infrastructure and research capacity that could support significantly higher domestic production. The disclosures were made during the Virtual 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.
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, but local production currently satisfies only about 15 to 18 percent of that requirement. He said Ghana imports between 100,000 and 120,000 tonnes of fresh tomatoes annually, mainly from Burkina Faso, at an estimated cost of US$18 million. The country also imports processed tomato products, principally from China and Europe. These imports are equivalent to approximately 400,000 to 450,000 tonnes of raw tomatoes incurring a cost of about US$150 million annually. Combined, fresh and processed tomato imports therefore account for an estimated US$168 million in annual expenditure.
The seasonal nature of domestic production is a major factor behind the dependence. More than 60 percent of fresh tomato imports enter Ghana between November and April, when local production declines significantly during the dry season. Dr Osei said the situation was particularly concerning because Ghana has more than 400,000 hectares of arable land considered suitable for tomato cultivation. Yet average yields remain at only seven to 10 tonnes per hectare, far below the potential of between 20 and 80 tonnes per hectare achievable with improved varieties and appropriate agronomic practices. The researchers identified inadequate access to quality seed, limited irrigation, declining soil fertility, pest and disease pressures and weak agricultural extension services among the key constraints holding back production.
Seed availability has emerged as another structural weakness. According to Dr Osei, more than 85 percent of tomato seed planted in Ghana is commercial hybrid seed, a situation that increases farmers’ production costs while making the industry vulnerable to external supply disruptions. “A country that imports its seed will always import its food,” he stated Researchers also identified the underutilization of existing irrigation infrastructure as a major obstacle to achieving year-round tomato production. Of the approximately 15,000 hectares covered by 22 public irrigation schemes, only about 9,000 hectares are currently being utilized. Greater use of these facilities, coupled with improved varieties, mechanisation and better farm management, could help reduce the sharp seasonal fluctuations that force Ghana to turn to imports during periods of low domestic supply.
The ginger industry presents an even more severe case of import dependence. Dr Osei said Ghana’s demand for ginger had risen from about 18,000 tonnes in 2020 to between 30,000 and 32,000 tonnes in 2025. However, a bacterial wilt outbreak in 2022 severely affected domestic production, leaving Ghana more than 99 percent dependent on imported ginger.The country now spends approximately US$500,000 annually on ginger imports, mainly sourced from China, Nigeria and Burkina Faso. The collapse in local production has also been accompanied by a dramatic increase in prices.
A sack of ginger that sold for approximately GH¢250 in 2022 rose to about GH¢4,000 in 2025 and had reached GH¢6,000 or more by the time of the webinar. Researchers said the bacterial wilt is soil-borne and can spread through infected planting materials, poor drainage, heavy rainfall, continuous cultivation of the same crop and contaminated farm equipment. The disease therefore presents not only a production challenge but also a long-term threat to the restoration of Ghana’s ginger value chain if farmers return to cultivation without adequate disease-control measures.
To rebuild the ginger sector, researchers are advocating the development and adoption of disease-resistant varieties, production of disease-free planting materials through tissue culture, stronger disease surveillance and improved extension services to help farmers identify and control infections. For tomatoes, the researchers are calling for greater investment in certified seed production, irrigation, soil fertility management, mechanisation and protected cultivation. Dr Osei has also proposed the establishment of a Tomato Board by 2028 and a dedicated Horticultural Research Institute by 2030. The proposed institutions would help coordinate research, seed development, processing, financing and market integration across the horticultural sector.
The researchers argue that addressing these structural weaknesses could allow Ghana to move beyond simply producing more crops to developing commercially viable agricultural value chains capable of supplying local markets and supporting processing industries. The tomato and ginger figures illustrate the wider economic consequences of weaknesses in domestic agricultural production. While Ghana possesses substantial agricultural land and significant research expertise, low productivity, inadequate infrastructure, disease outbreaks and dependence on imported planting materials continue to expose key food value chains to external supply pressures. For tomatoes, the annual US$168 million import bill represents foreign exchange that could potentially be retained within the economy if domestic production and processing capacity were expanded.
In the case of ginger, the experience demonstrates how a disease outbreak can rapidly transform a locally produced commodity into one that depends overwhelmingly on imports. Researchers at CSIR therefore believe that sustained investment in agricultural research, quality planting materials, irrigation, extension, mechanisation, disease management and agro-processing will be essential if Ghana is to reduce its food import bill. The broader objective, they said, should be to turn Ghana’s considerable agricultural potential into productive and resilient value chains that can meet domestic demand, create jobs, support farmers and retain more foreign exchange within the country.
By: Joyce Owusu
