Tomato prices are expected to decline significantly in the coming weeks as local farmers begin harvesting their crops, Deputy Minister for Food and Agriculture John Dumelo has announced.
Mr Dumelo said the increased supply from the ongoing harvest would ease pressure on the domestic market and improve the availability of tomatoes across the country.
He also disclosed that the government was preparing to support large-scale dry-season tomato farming from December 2026 to June 2027 to address anticipated supply shortages.
According to the Deputy Minister, lands have largely been cleared in parts of northern Ghana, with seedling nursing and transplanting expected to begin in October 2026.
In a Facebook post on Monday, September 7, Mr Dumelo said the government had provided farmers with solar-powered boreholes and irrigation inputs to support dry-season cultivation.
“The prices of tomatoes should see a sharp decline in the coming weeks as Ghanaian farmers have started harvesting,” he said.
He added that the dry-season farming programme would help “augment the shortfalls” expected next year.
Government targets year-round tomato production
Mr Dumelo said the initiative forms part of efforts to boost year-round tomato production and reduce the seasonal supply gaps that often contribute to sharp increases in prices.
Tomatoes recorded the highest price increase among food items monitored by the Channel One Market Price Barometer in August 2026.
Traders have attributed the recent surge in prices partly to reduced rainfall in major tomato-growing areas, which has affected production and constrained supplies to the market.
Tomato prices surge
Tomato trader Mary Okyere said prices had increased sharply compared with the same period last year.
“Last year, a basket of tomatoes like this sold for about GH¢200, but now the same basket costs as much as GH¢700,” she said.
She added that a paint rubber of tomatoes, which previously sold for around GH¢50, is now being sold for approximately GH¢150.
While the government expects prices to ease as the current harvest reaches markets, traders remain concerned about the impact of inadequate rainfall on overall production.
They fear that continued low rainfall in key growing areas could constrain supply and keep prices elevated despite the expected increase in harvests in the coming weeks.
The government’s dry-season farming programme is therefore expected to play a key role in improving supply and reducing the sharp seasonal fluctuations that have historically affected tomato prices in Ghana.
