Across many rice-growing belts in Ghana, from Fumbisi in the Upper East Region to Nasia in the North East and Ohiamadwen in the Western Region, farmers are watching mountains of bagged paddy rice sit idle in warehouses. This season has produced one of the largest gluts of locally grown rice in years, yet thousands of bags remain unsold.
The government tried to mop up this excess with GH¢200 million, but this amount has been described as “a drop in the ocean” by the National Food Buffer Stock Company, which requested around GH¢700 million to buy up excess rice and maize.
Ironically, while Ghana has more rice than it can absorb in the short term, the country is battling an acute scarcity of tomatoes. Markets are overflowing with plantain, cassava and garden eggs, but fresh tomatoes are scarce and expensive. The two extremes show a food system that swings between surplus and shortage, putting both farmers and consumers under stress.
This feature explores how Ghana arrived at this troubling imbalance, why rice farmers are struggling to survive even amid bumper harvests, and why tomatoes remain out of reach for many households.
A Country of Contradiction: Too Much Rice, Too Few Tomatoes
The word “glut” has been used many times in Ghana’s food conversations, but nowhere is it more evident today than in the country’s rice sector. Several regions have recorded bumper harvests, especially after years of sustained cultivation under agricultural programmes and expansions in irrigated rice fields. But without enough buyers, processors or storage facilities, the output has outstripped market demand. Farmers in Fumbisi, for instance, say that out of thousands of bags harvested, only a fraction have been purchased by market actors.
Meanwhile, tomatoes, one of the most widely consumed vegetables, are scarce. In major markets in Accra and Kumasi, traders display tall heaps of cassava, plantain and garden eggs, but offer only small portions of tomatoes at painful prices. A small bowl of tomatoes can cost more than an entire bunch of plantains. Meanwhile, in September 2025, the government had to step in to purchase 1,000 boxes of tomatoes and 2,000 bags of onions cultivated by farmers in the Ashanti Region due to an abundance.
The market seems to be screaming two messages at once: Ghana cannot manage abundance, and it cannot prevent scarcity.
Rice Glut: How We Produced Too Much Without a Market
This year’s rice glut is the climax of several intersecting factors:
1. Expanded Production Encouraged by Previous Success
After earlier years of strong demand for local rice, many farmers increased their acreage. Government programmes under Planting for Food and Jobs (PFJ), combined with improved seed varieties and expanded irrigation in schemes like Tono and Vea, boosted production. Farmers invested heavily buying fertiliser, hiring labour, and renting harvesters, expecting a profitable season.
2. Lack of Storage and Processing Capacity
Though Ghana repeatedly encourages consumption of local rice, the country still lacks sufficient milling and storage capacity. The absence of a robust warehouse receipt system means farmers cannot store paddy for future sale or use it as collateral for financing.
3. Competition from Imported Rice
Despite campaign after campaign promoting “Eat Ghana Rice,” imported rice continues to dominate the market. Urban consumers often prefer the uniformity and appearance of imported brands, making it difficult for local rice to compete. This season, rice importers have not slowed down, so farmers are battling both oversupply and weaker demand.
Why Tomatoes Are Scarce: Seasonal and Structural Realities
If rice shows Ghana’s problem with abundance, tomatoes show its ongoing struggle with scarcity. Tomato production faces a unique set of challenges that make the country chronically dependent on imports.
1. Seasonal Production and Climate Pressures
Tomato farming in Ghana is tied to specific cycles. Regions like Akomadan, Tuobodom, and the northern irrigation schemes produce tomatoes only during peak seasons when conditions are right. This year, irregular rainfall and heat waves disrupted expected yields. Pest outbreaks, especially the notorious Tuta Absoluta in Nigeria, wiped out large acres of tomato farms.
2. Dependence on Imports From Burkina Faso and Niger
Ghana relies heavily on fresh tomatoes from Burkina Faso and Niger during the lean season. When production or logistics issues hit those countries, Ghana feels the pinch immediately. Recent insecurity and high transport costs on the Burkina Faso–Ghana corridor have limited supply and increased spoilage.
3. Weak Local Production Systems
Tomato farmers currently operate in an environment where: irrigation systems are inadequate, farm inputs are unaffordable, storage systems are nonexistent, and market linkages are weak.
The Root of Ghana’s Food Imbalance
Ghana’s seasonal food imbalance, excess of some crops and shortage of others, comes from deeper systemic gaps.
1. Poor Market Forecasting
Farmers often make production decisions based on the previous year’s prices rather than data-driven projections. If plantain or rice sold well last year, many switch to it, creating oversupply the following year.
2. Limited Storage and Processing
Ghana loses between 30 and 50 percent of fresh produce annually due to weak storage infrastructure. When gluts occur, these losses worsen. Without cold-chain systems or warehousing, produce floods the market at once, causing prices to fall.
3. Fragmented Value Chains
While some crops like rice require structured buyers and processors, many farming regions operate without organised market linkages. The tomato sector is especially vulnerable because of lack of processing factories after the collapse of facilities like the Pwalugu Tomato Factory.
4. Over-Reliance on Regional Imports
For tomatoes especially, overdependence on Burkina Faso and Niger exposes Ghana to external risks. A disruption there immediately destabilises supply here.
How the Glut and Scarcity Affect Farmers and Consumers
Despite bumper harvests, many farmers are struggling. Some are forced to sell below cost just to clear their fields, while others watch crops rot in the absence of proper storage. At the same time, urban consumers are paying the price, tomatoes are expensive, pushing households to rely on substitutes like tomato paste or garden-egg stews.
Traders, struggling with high spoilage rates, unstable bulk prices, and rising transport costs, pass these expenses on to shoppers. The result is a distorted market where farmers lose, and consumers don’t necessarily gain.
What Experts Say
Agricultural economists argue that Ghana’s problem is not production capacity but coordination and infrastructure. The Chief Executive Officer of Agri-Impact, Daniel Fahene Acquaye, has urged the government to adopt long-term policies rather than temporary interventions that ensure consistent support for local rice, maize, and poultry producers.
Some tomato traders say stabilising the Burkina Faso trade route is essential for short-term relief, but long-term solutions like storage and proper logistics would reduce heavy losses. Without these, they warn that even abundant.
The Way Forward: A More Balanced Food System
1. Government Purchase and Buffering of Surplus Rice
Buying locally grown for school feeding programmes, buffer stocks and institutional consumption can stabilise prices and prevent wastage. President Mahama has ordered public institutions to prioritise locally produced food to help absorb the current harvest surplus. Schools and prisons are now required to source all their food locally, and excess eggs and grains are being directed into the School Feeding Programme to support farmers and help them recover their investments.
2. Expand Irrigation and Greenhouse Cultivation for Tomatoes
Expanding irrigation in major tomato-growing zones like Akomadan, Afram Plains, Tono and Vea, remains one of the most reliable ways to secure year-round production and avoid Ghana’s recurring tomato shortages. The collapse of the Pwalugu Irrigation Project, which left farmers dependent on rainfall stands as a reminder of what happens when such investments stall.
3. Invest in Storage, Milling and Processing Facilities
Modern rice mills, cold storage facilities, and reactivation of tomato processing factories are essential to balance the market.
4. Implement a National Crop Forecasting System
A centralised agricultural data platform can guide farmers on the crops that will be profitable and prevent herd production.
5. Strengthen Regional Trade Routes
Formalising cross-border tomato trade can reduce logistics disruptions and stabilise prices for consumers.
Conclusion
Ghana’s simultaneous rice glut and tomato scarcity reveal a food system struggling with coordination, infrastructure and resilience. Farmers who should be celebrating bumper rice harvests are pleading for intervention, while consumers scrambling for basic tomato supplies are spending more than they can afford.
With deliberate planning, improved storage, strong irrigation and market intelligence, Ghana can turn this irony into balance, ensuring that abundance translates into prosperity for farmers and stable prices for consumers.
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