In West Africa, Ghana is one of the main markets for tomatoes and their derivatives. While research is identified as one of the main levers for increasing production, Accra is multiplying scientific partnerships in this field with a view to reducing its imports.
On October 7, 2026, India and Ghana announced the signing of a five-year memorandum of understanding aimed at strengthening their cooperation in agricultural research, training, and technology transfer.
Concluded between the Indian Council of Agricultural Research (ICAR), based in New Delhi, and the Crop Research Institute (CSIR-CRI), located in Accra, this partnership places tomato at the top of the priorities of its initial phase.
Concretely, ICAR commits to supporting the larger-scale deployment of proven agricultural technologies as well as the introduction of high-yielding tomato lines and varieties adapted to local conditions.
The arrangement also provides for exchanges of scientists, plant genetic material, and technical knowledge, as well as the carrying out of joint research projects.
The Ghanaian company Arima Farms Ltd. has been designated as the commercial partner of CSIR-CRI for certain research and commercialization activities.
This cooperation comes as Ghana seeks to close a tomato production deficit estimated at around 300,000 tonnes per year, covered by imports.
In March 2026, the Minister of Agriculture, Eric Opoku, indicated that the average tomato yield in the country was around 8 tonnes per hectare.
He also mentioned a target of 20 tonnes per hectare for new varieties developed as part of a research project conducted with Nigerian partners, including the company WAKI Farms. The minister had then identified the seed varieties currently used in the country as one of the main obstacles to improving yields.
India’s experience in vegetable crop production and research is therefore of interest to Accra.
According to data compiled by the FAO, India was, in 2024, the world’s second-largest producer of fresh tomatoes, behind China, with a harvest of 21.3 million tonnes, or about 11.3% of world production. The country also has research structures specialized in varietal improvement.
The Indian Institute of Vegetable Research (IIVR), affiliated with ICAR, is working, for example, on developing tomato varieties adapted to production constraints, with characteristics such as tolerance to high temperatures or resistance to certain diseases, including tomato leaf curl virus.
According to technical references consulted with ICAR, yields can reach 40 to 50 tonnes per hectare under good cultivation conditions.
Beyond this partnership, Accra is multiplying initiatives to strengthen its local tomato production.
On September 17, 2026, the Ministry of Agriculture launched a roadmap aimed at improving the availability of and access to quality seeds and seedlings adapted to local conditions.
This approach aims to strengthen national seed production and businesses in the sector.
