By Benjamin Nii Nai Anyetei
Tomato farmers in the Anloga District of the Volta Region are raising the alarm over the absence of ready markets and storage facilities for their produce, warning that the situation is crippling incomes and threatening the survival of farming in the area.
The farmers say heavy post-harvest losses remain their biggest challenge, as tomatoes rot within days due to the lack of cold storage systems and reliable buyers.
Mr. Semabia Agbenyefia, a farmer at Anloga-Avume, told the Ghana News Agency that market prices have drastically dropped, worsening their plight.
“A box of tomatoes, which is supposed to sell for GH₵1,050, now goes as low as GH₵80 or GH₵70, making profitability an uphill battle,” he lamented.
He appealed for the establishment of tomato processing factories in the district to preserve produce, cut down losses, and create jobs for the youth.
Climate change, according to Mr. Agbenyefia, has also compounded their woes, with extreme heat, drought, and erratic rainfall patterns contributing to poor yields and worsening financial losses.
Another farmer, Ms. Cecilia Seshie, stressed that urgent interventions were needed to prevent the collapse of tomato farming in Anloga, which she said would worsen hunger and unemployment in the district.
She explained that farmers typically invest between GH₵2,000 and GH₵5,000 per season in the hope of earning enough to pay school fees, rent, and other essential expenses. However, the current losses are pushing many into debt.
The farmers are therefore appealing to government, philanthropists, corporate organisations, stakeholders, and farmer associations to step in with solutions that would protect their livelihoods and improve productivity.
