Ashanti Region tomato traders face losses due to low demand

Tomato traders in Ghana’s Ashanti Region are reporting significant financial losses due to dwindling patronage and reduced consumption, despite a substantial decrease in market prices.

Traders operating across various regional markets noted that lower prices have failed to attract the expected volume of customers. Because tomatoes are highly perishable and the region lacks adequate preservation infrastructure, unsold stock is at high risk of spoiling, further threatening the ability of traders to recover their investments.

Nana Abena Serwaa, the Ashanti Regional Queen Mother of the Tomato Traders Association, has called on the government and the Ministry of Food and Agriculture to intervene. She specifically advocated for the establishment of tomato processing plants across the country to provide a reliable way to preserve excess produce and mitigate post-harvest losses during periods of high supply.