Kumasi: The Crops Research Institute of the Council for Scientific and Industrial Research (CSIR-CRI), in collaboration with the Korea Partnership for Innovation of Agriculture (KOPIA Ghana), has initiated a project focused on enhancing tomato production in Ghana through climate-smart greenhouse technologies.
According to Ghana News Agency, the two-year initiative, titled 'Establishing Climate-Smart Greenhouse Technologies for Sustainable Tomato Production in Ghana,' is funded by the Korean government through RDA-KOPIA. The project aims to evaluate new tomato lines from the World Vegetable Center (WorldVeg) at CSIR-CRI in Kumasi and the KOPIA Center in Ghana.
Selected tomato lines will undergo cultivation in greenhouses located in the Ashanti, Bono, and Volta Regions, facilitating the training of selected tomato farmers. The project aims to identify high-performing, disease-resistant tomato varieties, promote innovative greenhouse technologies, and assess the economic and environmental impacts of greenhouse tomato production in Ghana.
Researchers are also working to strengthen the capacity of smallholder farmers to produce high-quality greenhouse tomatoes. The technologies are anticipated to increase farmers' yields, reduce disease incidence, and improve profitability.
Dr. Michael Kwabena Osei, Project Leader and Tomato Breeder at CSIR-CRI, expressed at the project inception meeting at Kwadaso near Kumasi that greenhouse tomato production has recently emerged as a promising alternative with potential for higher yields, improved quality, and increased profitability. However, he noted that greenhouse tomato production in Ghana remains in its early stages, with many smallholder farmers lacking the necessary knowledge, skills, and resources to adopt the technology.
Dr. Osei highlighted that tomato is one of the most widely consumed vegetables in Ghana, with an annual demand of about 1.4 million metric tonnes. Currently, farmers produce only about 34 percent of the national demand, necessitating the import of large quantities of tomatoes.
He further explained that traditional farming practices still dominate tomato production in Ghana, leading to low yields of between 7.5 and 10 metric tonnes per hectare. Additional challenges in the sector include poor quality produce, a high incidence of pests and diseases, and limited profitability.