The Ministry of Food and Agriculture (MoFA) has signed a landmark Public-Private Partnership (PPP) agreement with FarmMate Limited, targeting the combined production of 600,000 tons of tomatoes and tomato puree annually. This strategic move is geared towards achieving food self-sufficiency and eliminating the country’s costly dependence on tomato imports.
The project will be implemented on a national scale, covering up to 40,000 acres, with a target of 400,000 tons of fresh tomatoes per year. Processing facilities running at 20 tons per hour will yield an additional 200,000 tons of tomato puree annually, bringing total projected output to approximately 600,000 tons. Supporting infrastructure, including packhouses, pre-processing centres, and logistics hubs will be developed across key agricultural zones nationwide.
Under the agreement, Under the agreement, the government will provide policy support, coordination, and an enabling business environment, while FarmMate Limited leads implementation, large-scale production, and full value chain operations.
Speaking at the signing ceremony, Minister for Food and Agriculture Eric Opoku described the initiative as a practical and scalable solution to Ghana’s chronic tomato sector challenges, pledging full institutional support from the Ministry.
“This agreement marks a major step towards Ghana’s tomato and vegetable self sufficiency and builds on a proven national module in operation.This is good news to us and we expect everybody to be on board in our strife to achieve food sufficiency“ the minister said.
Beyond production, the partnership is expected to deliver significant socio-economic impact, supporting tens of thousands of smallholder farmers, generating over 300,000 jobs across the agricultural value chain, and prioritizing youth training and apprenticeship programmes.
The deal also includes guaranteed off-take arrangements for farmers, securing stable markets, improved incomes, and the confidence to expand production while ensuring consistent, quality supply for traders, processors, and consumers nationwide.
Founder and CEO of FarmMate Limited, Sena Amevor, used the occasion to call for broad national participation, urging stakeholders across sectors to invest in building a resilient tomato and vegetable industry in Ghana.
“This initiative provides a value-added integration platform where existing programmes can achieve stronger sustainability outcomes. Overall, the model creates clear pathways for coordinated private sector and development partner collaboration in scaling production, infrastructure, logistics, and value addition across the country,“ Amevor said.
Officials say the PPP demonstrates the transformative potential of government-private sector collaboration in modernizing Ghana’s agriculture and securing long-term food independence.
