GHANA, BF DISCUSS JOINT TOMATO VENTURE
GHANA, BF DISCUSS JOINT TOMATO VENTURE August 10, 2010
BY P. A. WEDAM
ISD-BOLGATANGA MUNICIPAL
In the Upper East region, 72.7 per cent of tomato farmers cultivate the crop on two acres of land or less while as high as 91.8 per cent of them wish to add more than four acres to their present acreage. Also, only 5.2 per cent of tomato farmers buy seedlings from specialised agricultural input shops and 1.3 per cent buy from MOFA as against 92.2 per cent who buy their seedlings from the open market.
These revelations were contained in a presentation made by the Coordinator of the Ghana Trade and Livelihoods Coalition [GTLC], Mr. Ibrahim Akalbila at a workshop in Bolgatanga aimed at setting up a joint tomato venture between Burkina Faso and Ghana. He said the findings came up in a survey the coalition carried out in the region in 2009. The survey also revealed that tomato ranked high in all communities as a major source of income and employment.
The overall objective of the workshop is to build consensus for a joint enterprise with the Northern Star Tomato Company [NSTC] located at Pwalugu as the driving force that guarantees resource and market. It is also to provide a platform for the two countries to strengthen their relationships.
Mr. Akalbila further said that 43 per cent of tomato farmers acknowledged that they received technical advice from MOFA extension officers and this, to a large extent helped in improving their yields. He however observed that, lack of ready market has often been a big problem that tomato farmers faced after harvest.
According to him, the Northern Star Tomato Company which was shut down in 1990 as a result of structural adjustment programmes was hurriedly reactivated in 2007 without due and diligent feasibility studies. As a result, tomato farmers in the Upper East region borrowed huge loans from financial institutions and pumped these monies into tomato cultivation with the mind that the factory will pay them good money for their sweat but this never happened causing some farmers to take their own lives.
Mr. Akalbila said the Ghana Trade and Livelihoods Coalition has been following the events with keen interest and has therefore intervened to help these farmers move from vulnerability to opportunity. This, it has done through several seminars and joint workshops between farmers in Burkina Faso and Ghana with the involvement of major stakeholders such as tomato factories and allied organisations in both countries.
The Upper East regional minister, Mr. Mark Owen Woyongo who opened the workshop recalled that the Ghana Trade and Livelihoods Coalition organized a sub-regional forum in Navrongo and a similar one in June 2010 at Po in Burkina Faso noting that these fora will promote tomato trade between Ghana and Burknia Faso and eliminate unnecessary rivalry and unhealthy competition.
He tasked stakeholders to engage with researchers to come out with varieties of tomato that can be cultivated all year round to create jobs for farmers and also feed the tomato factory.
Mr. Woyongo intimated that the effective operation of the Northern Star Tomato factory will eliminate tomato glut which farmers face every harvest season. In this light, government will continue to provide for the technical and financial needs of the factory so as to position it to buy all tomato that will be cultivated in the region. He also said the factory is prepared to enter into bilateral agreement with Burkina Faso in the tomato trade and prompted the Burkinabės to take the issue seriously.
The regional minister commended the Ghana Trade and Livelihoods Coalition and its counterpart in Burkina Faso, ORCARDE for pushing forward the agenda for disadvantaged farmers in the two nations.
A participant at the workshop, Mr. Ahmed Bogobiri who is also a tomato farmer at the Tono Irrigation site called on government to come to the aid of farmers by listening to them directly and providing for their needs with subsidised inputs, financial assistance and guaranteed market for their produce.
Mr. Bogobiri hinted that tomato farmers may boycott cultivation of the crop if necessary help constantly fail to come to them.
A representative of the Ghana embassy in Burkina Faso, Mr. Marcel A. Domayele urged tomato farmers in Ghana to pay field visits to farms in Burkina Faso to learn best practices.
BY P. A. WEDAM
ISD-BOLGATANGA MUNICIPAL
In the Upper East region, 72.7 per cent of tomato farmers cultivate the crop on two acres of land or less while as high as 91.8 per cent of them wish to add more than four acres to their present acreage. Also, only 5.2 per cent of tomato farmers buy seedlings from specialised agricultural input shops and 1.3 per cent buy from MOFA as against 92.2 per cent who buy their seedlings from the open market.
These revelations were contained in a presentation made by the Coordinator of the Ghana Trade and Livelihoods Coalition [GTLC], Mr. Ibrahim Akalbila at a workshop in Bolgatanga aimed at setting up a joint tomato venture between Burkina Faso and Ghana. He said the findings came up in a survey the coalition carried out in the region in 2009. The survey also revealed that tomato ranked high in all communities as a major source of income and employment.
The overall objective of the workshop is to build consensus for a joint enterprise with the Northern Star Tomato Company [NSTC] located at Pwalugu as the driving force that guarantees resource and market. It is also to provide a platform for the two countries to strengthen their relationships.
Mr. Akalbila further said that 43 per cent of tomato farmers acknowledged that they received technical advice from MOFA extension officers and this, to a large extent helped in improving their yields. He however observed that, lack of ready market has often been a big problem that tomato farmers faced after harvest.
According to him, the Northern Star Tomato Company which was shut down in 1990 as a result of structural adjustment programmes was hurriedly reactivated in 2007 without due and diligent feasibility studies. As a result, tomato farmers in the Upper East region borrowed huge loans from financial institutions and pumped these monies into tomato cultivation with the mind that the factory will pay them good money for their sweat but this never happened causing some farmers to take their own lives.
Mr. Akalbila said the Ghana Trade and Livelihoods Coalition has been following the events with keen interest and has therefore intervened to help these farmers move from vulnerability to opportunity. This, it has done through several seminars and joint workshops between farmers in Burkina Faso and Ghana with the involvement of major stakeholders such as tomato factories and allied organisations in both countries.
The Upper East regional minister, Mr. Mark Owen Woyongo who opened the workshop recalled that the Ghana Trade and Livelihoods Coalition organized a sub-regional forum in Navrongo and a similar one in June 2010 at Po in Burkina Faso noting that these fora will promote tomato trade between Ghana and Burknia Faso and eliminate unnecessary rivalry and unhealthy competition.
He tasked stakeholders to engage with researchers to come out with varieties of tomato that can be cultivated all year round to create jobs for farmers and also feed the tomato factory.
Mr. Woyongo intimated that the effective operation of the Northern Star Tomato factory will eliminate tomato glut which farmers face every harvest season. In this light, government will continue to provide for the technical and financial needs of the factory so as to position it to buy all tomato that will be cultivated in the region. He also said the factory is prepared to enter into bilateral agreement with Burkina Faso in the tomato trade and prompted the Burkinabės to take the issue seriously.
The regional minister commended the Ghana Trade and Livelihoods Coalition and its counterpart in Burkina Faso, ORCARDE for pushing forward the agenda for disadvantaged farmers in the two nations.
A participant at the workshop, Mr. Ahmed Bogobiri who is also a tomato farmer at the Tono Irrigation site called on government to come to the aid of farmers by listening to them directly and providing for their needs with subsidised inputs, financial assistance and guaranteed market for their produce.
Mr. Bogobiri hinted that tomato farmers may boycott cultivation of the crop if necessary help constantly fail to come to them.
A representative of the Ghana embassy in Burkina Faso, Mr. Marcel A. Domayele urged tomato farmers in Ghana to pay field visits to farms in Burkina Faso to learn best practices.
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