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Tomatoes have the potential to improve the lives of smallholder farmers in most developing countries around the world.
In addition to the health benefits derived from tomatoes and tomato-based foods, this crop can be a source of income for farmers because of its many uses.
The industry can increase the exports of many African countries abroad, thus contributing significantly to gross domestic product (GDP).
In Ghana, the tomato industry has been identified as an area that can reduce poverty because of its potential for growth and job creation.
Identifiable challenges
Although cultivation can improve the livelihoods of rural farmers, studies have shown that the full potential of tomatoes is underutilized due to several problems.
The tomato crop in Ghana is mainly rain-fed because of the lack of effective irrigation systems.
The production therefore takes place only during the rainy season, which requires the production of the best variety of seeds.
The variety of seeds is one of the biggest challenges facing tomato growers, as their inability to produce the best variety leads to a reduction in product use.
Tomato growers in Ghana are faced with the problem of the lack of a preferable seed variety on the part of traders, processors, consumers, and as a result, domestic tomato production continues to decline sharply in recent years.
& # 39; & # 39; Statistics show that the country spends around $ 100,000 a year on tomato paste imports, due to the unavailability of preferable seeds for cash crops, and more importantly, Ghana loses FCFA 56 billion in Burkina Faso by importing fresh tomatoes, according to Mr. Eric Osei Tuffuor, President of the Ghana Association of Traders and Transporters of Tomatoes (GNTTTA).
That, he said, is that Ghana has imported 90% of the fresh tomatoes produced in BF, claiming that the remaining 10% is consumed between that country and Côte d 'Ivoire.
The president of the GNTTTA declared that Burkina Faso "researchers" deliberately calculated and worked for the country to earn this amount or more during the six-month production period of the planting season, harvesting and marketing of the product.
The Burkinabe government has created a favorable environment with the necessary and varied incentives in place for researchers and farmers, citing that the country had only started with seven dams, but currently has 87 to boost the oil industry. the fresh tomato.
Pests and diseases, weed control, inappropriate harvesting periods, lack of appropriate harvesting tools, storage and transportation, processing and marketing are also key challenges to the growth of the sector.
Pests and diseases
Pests and diseases such as mildew, powdery mildew, rust, mildew, foot rot, Septoria leaf blotch and leaf roll are the major diseases infected by tomato to which growers of tomatoes from the country are facing.
These diseases lead to yield losses for farmers because studies have shown that most farmers in the country do not have a thorough knowledge of the types of diseases and their control measures.
The "Taka", a cloudy climate with fine dust, damages the tomato crop by drying the leaves and promoting the development of diseases.
The American ballworm is also perceived as the most serious pest among many tomato producers.
In severe cases, if appropriate control measures are not taken, an estimated yield loss of 20% may be due to this pest.
Lack of appropriate harvesting tools
Tomatoes are widely harvested by hand picking instead of mechanical picking by tomato growers in Ghana.
As a result, there is a high risk of mechanical damage that can be an entry point for pathogens.
The majority of Ghanaian farmers use wooden crates and woven baskets with hard, sharp surfaces that can cause mechanical damage to the harvested fruits.
Overloading during harvesting can result in excessive buildup of compressive forces resulting in crushing of fruits at the bottom of the containers.
The use of shallow, smooth-surfaced containers that will avoid overloading will therefore reduce mechanical injuries and crushing harvested fruits.
Storage and transport
Ghanaian farmers do not have storage facilities for their products and sell their tomatoes directly to the market as soon as possible.
Sometimes farmers prefer to keep the fruits on the spot for a while if they feel that the market price is not attractive or if there is no market for their products .
Thus, the harvest is normally early in the morning or late in the afternoon and the crates are kept temporarily in the shade.
Most farmers ship their products with the help of draft animals, vehicles or both. Due to poor road conditions, tomato losses during transport are significant and can reach 30% of production.
In fact, the cost of transportation is considered to be the most important cost of production among farmers as some of them produce potentially marketable tomatoes for cattle and / or unload their tomatoes because of high transport costs.
Advocacy action
According to the Ghana Federation of Tomato Producers (FETOGRASG), the lack of improved seeds for tomato production in the country is hurting their economic activities.
"Our businesses are in turmoil because of the low customer base of our products. We are not able to meet the demand of these processors and traders because they want to buy tomatoes whose outer layer is thick and hard, less watery and has a longer shelf life, "said Baffour Afrifa , president of the Association.
He is concerned about the lack of tomato seed varieties that thrive in Ghana's soil and climate, forcing processors and traders to rely on Burkina Faso products.
It is in this context that the Association has approximately 6,000 members and has solicited funding from the Business Sector Advocacy Challenge Fund (BUSAC) with financial support from DANIDA and USAID for implementation. an advocacy project in the country.
Nicknamed "rejuvenating the tomato industry by providing a certified variety and desired by the buyer", the nine-month project costing 200,000 GHC aims to remove the barriers that impede the growth and development of the industry. the tomato.
The project had a significant impact and congratulated the BUSAC Fund and its partners for the support that Mr. Afrifa Baffour has witnessed.
Conclusion (s)
Although the tomato industry can potentially improve the country's foreign exchange earnings and add to GDP, tomato production remains unattractive for farmers.
The sector plays a vital role in Ghana's economic growth as it also provides jobs, food and raw materials for processors, but its current state eliminates these benefits.
This has led tomato traders / sellers, processors and consumers to come across tomatoes imported from Burkina Faso.
Mechanisms for addressing seed variety problems should include plant protection exercises, a seed safety mechanism and a seed variety extension service, which can provide a more practical, practical and effective way to improve the quality of seed varieties. guarantee the availability of seed varieties for production.
But much depends on the Council for Scientific and Industrial Research (CSIR) to create a variety likely to grow well in Ghana, to meet the qualities of traders.
recommendations
According to Dr. John Yaw Akparep, a consultant for COPIO, a non-governmental organization and service providers of the BUSAC Fund for the Tomato Growers' Association, the CSIR should undertake extensive research with seedlings that can grow well in Ghana.
He emphasized the need for the CSIR to collaborate with the Ministry of Food and Agriculture to study, identify and develop seed variety cultivation strategies to ensure that approved tomato seed is always available and easily accessible.
There should be at least one seed production center in at least every district in the country, which would specifically look into the critical issues related to seed culture and ensure the availability of seed varieties through Use of modern technologies.
It is therefore recommended that the government invest and build irrigation facilities so that farmers can exercise full control over the varieties of seeds that will be grown, as well as to obtain them for additional production purposes.
Prepared by: Mustapha M. Yeboah. CEO of Posterity Interest Center (COPIO).
The writer is a social worker / development practitioner at COPIO, a Techiman social enterprise. He is an advocate for agricultural and community development for equitable socio-economic transformation.
Mobile Phone Number: 0208356350
E-mail:[email protected]
Website: www.copio.org
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