Tomato farmers in Agogo, located in the Asante Akyem North Municipality of the Ashanti Region, are once again appealing to the government to establish a tomato processing factory in the area to help sustain their livelihoods and minimise post-harvest losses.
Their renewed call comes after a recent government initiative to purchase 1,000 boxes of tomatoes from local farmers for distribution to Senior High Schools in the municipality.
While farmers welcomed the intervention as a positive step towards fair market value, they emphasized that such efforts are only short-term and fail to address the persistent issue of spoilage during peak harvest seasons.
In an interview with Adom News’ Isaac Amoako, the farmers lamented the frequent wastage of large volumes of tomatoes due to the lack of proper storage and processing facilities.
“We’re grateful for the support, but buying for schools isn’t a long-term solution. Every year, a significant portion of our harvest goes to waste. A local processing factory would make tomato farming more sustainable and profitable,” one farmer noted.
They further argued that a factory would not only provide a reliable market for their produce but also create jobs for the youth and contribute to the growth of Ghana’s agricultural sector.
The farmers are calling on both government and private investors to collaborate in setting up a processing plant under the One District, One Factory (1D1F) initiative, which they believe can transform the local economy and make tomato farming a more viable venture.
Despite being one of Ghana’s major tomato-producing areas, Agogo’s farmers continue to face challenges such as unstable prices and high post-harvest losses due to the absence of adequate infrastructure.
