Ghana risks a severe nationwide tomato shortage following Burkina Faso’s indefinite export ban. As part of efforts to avert this crisis, the World Bank has secured a $20 million grant from the Dutch government to mitigate the impact of a looming tomato shortage in Ghana.

Speaking at a World Bank-civil society organisation (CSO) engagement on food security held in Accra, an Agricultural Economist with the World Bank, Dr Ashwini Sebastian, noted that the institution will collaborate with the local tomato traders association to strengthen supply chains, improve storage facilities, and support domestic production.

“Our colleagues from the Dutch embassy will come in. We have been able to leverage that small grant to get a $20 million grant for tomato interventions in Ghana from the Dutch Ministry of Foreign Affairs, and so we are in the phase of designing that intervention.

“We will reach out to the tomato association more because we have been having some debates about location and trying to cluster the intervention.”

The tomato ban and the government’s reaction so farThe World Bank’s support comes after the Burkina government, in a formal communique dated March 16, and signed by both the Trade and Agriculture ministers of the Francophone country, announced that a ban has become necessary to feed the country’s national processing units.

This sparked widespread concerns about its potential to worsen Ghana's tomato supply crisis, as Ghana imports approximately 70-80% of its tomatoes from Burkina Faso, worth about $400 million annually.

Consequently, the Government of Ghana has announced plans to engage authorities in Burkina Faso, given the potency of its impact on supply in the Ghanaian market.

In a statement shared on Friday, March 20, the Ministry of Trade, Agribusiness and Industry said the engagement will focus on resolving concerns surrounding the ban while exploring a mutually beneficial outcome for both countries.

It said, “The engagement will focus on resolving concerns surrounding the ban while exploring a mutually beneficial outcome for both countries, given the longstanding trade ties and Ghana’s reliance on tomato imports from Burkina Faso”.

The government also continued that, “The government reiterates its commitment to working with stakeholders to boost local tomato production under the ‘Feed Ghana’ and ‘Feed the Industry’ programmes, aimed at increasing output to meet demand on the domestic market”.

The Ministry also urged tomato traders and the general public to remain calm while it makes an effort to reach an amicable resolution to restore normal trade flows between the two countries.

Also, the Burkina government indicated that the issuance of Special Export Authorisations (ASE) has also been suspended. The Special Export Authorisations (ASE) are official permits issued by the government that allow traders to export certain goods,

“Economic operators and the public are hereby informed that, to ensure the supply of national processing plants, the export of fresh tomatoes is suspended throughout the national territory until further notice. Consequently, the issuance of Special Export Authorisations (ASE) is suspended.

The letter also stated that operators holding valid fresh tomato export permits have two (2) weeks from the date of signature of the communiqué to complete their export procedures. After two weeks, the permit will be considered invalid.

“Economic operators holding valid fresh tomato export authorisations have two (2) weeks from the date of signature of this communiqué to complete their export procedures. After this period, the authorisation will be considered invalid”, the statement continued.

The Burkinabé government warned that any violator of the directive will be sanctioned in accordance with applicable regulations.

“Furthermore, any goods seized in violation of this measure will be returned, free of charge, to the fresh tomato processing plants established under the popular shareholding scheme,” the letter translated to English noted.

It continued that, “The Government is counting on the understanding and cooperation of all stakeholders in the tomato sector, as well as all state technical services, particularly border control services and security forces, to ensure the proper implementation of the terms of this communiqué”.

How long will it take Ghana to be independent?Ghana’s Deputy Agriculture Minister and Member of Parliament for Ayawaso West Wuogon, John Dumelo, speaking in reaction to the ban, said that last year the government engaged some farmers in the Northern Region to intensify production and adopt modern farming techniques, including dry-season tomato cultivation, to boost local output.

According to him, during his engagement with the tomato farmers, one of the major challenges identified was the lack of a proper irrigation system, which he said the government is ready to support.

“With a ban on the tomato export, it’s something that we need to further interrogate. I read a memo yesterday and [it’s] something that I need to find out whether it’s true and why they’ve banned it.”

He continued that the current local production is not enough, citing that “Ghana can hit tomato self‑sufficiency in four years if we sustain dry‑season farming and support local producers.”