President John Dramani Mahama has announced plans to rehabilitate the Pwalugu Tomato Factory in the Upper East Region as part of a broader government drive to expand tomato production, irrigation and agro-processing.
The President said the factory would become the main processing hub for tomatoes produced under a planned expansion of cultivation in the region, creating a stronger link between farming and local industrial processing.
Speaking at a citizens’ engagement in Navrongo, President Mahama said agriculture and agro-processing would be at the centre of the government’s proposed New Economy programme.
He said the programme would target seven strategic sectors, with government committing $2.5 billion annually for four years, amounting to $10 billion in planned investment.
“Every year, for the next four years, we’re going to invest $2.5 billion in those seven pillars,” he said.
According to the President, agriculture and agro-processing would receive the largest share, accounting for 50 per cent, or $5 billion, of the planned $10 billion investment.
“The biggest is agriculture and agro-processing. And that’s where the Upper East comes in,” he said.
Upper East to benefit from $5bn investment
President Mahama assured residents that the Upper East Region would receive its fair share of the planned investment, particularly through expanded irrigation infrastructure to enable farmers to cultivate crops throughout the year.
He said increased access to irrigation would create opportunities for young people to engage in productive farming during both the rainy and dry seasons.
The President said government had already begun interventions to revitalise tomato production in the region through the Tomato Revitalisation Project.
He said the Upper East had the potential to produce vegetables and other crops needed to supply the domestic market, making it a key area for agricultural transformation.
“We’ve started. We have the tomato revitalisation project that is taking place here,” he said.
2,500 acres targeted for tomatoes
President Mahama said government was targeting about 2,500 acres of land for tomato cultivation, with the rehabilitated Pwalugu factory expected to serve as the centre for processing the produce.
“We can bring in 2,500 acres of land under tomato production. And the Pwalugu tomato factory is going to be the epicentre of it,” he said.
He explained that the rehabilitation of the factory would enable the region to process locally produced tomatoes and supply markets across the country.
“We’re going to rehabilitate the Pwalugu tomato factory so that we can process the tomatoes that Upper East is producing to feed the rest of the country,” he added.
The plan is expected to strengthen the connection between farmers and agro-processing industries while reducing post-harvest losses and supporting local value addition.
Tamne dam to boost dry-season farming
The President also announced plans to complete the Tamne irrigation dam to support dry-season farming in four districts in the Bawku area.
He said the project would particularly support onion production, noting the area’s comparative advantage in cultivating the crop.
“We’ll finish the Tamne irrigation dam so that the four districts in the Bawku area can also go into their dry-season production,” he said.
He identified onion production as a major opportunity for the area and said expanding irrigation would allow farmers to produce on a larger scale throughout the year.
Push to cut onion imports
President Mahama said increasing domestic onion production would help reduce Ghana’s dependence on imported onions from Niger.
He said the government intended to support farmers to increase production and substitute imports with locally grown onions.
“We want to cut down the amount of onions we import from Niger. And if we put enough land under irrigation, we should be able to import, substitute, and produce our own onions,” he said.
The government’s proposed interventions are expected to position the Upper East Region as an important centre for agricultural production and agro-processing.
The rehabilitation of the Pwalugu tomato factory, expansion of irrigation and completion of the Tamne dam form part of the broader strategy to increase agricultural productivity, create jobs and strengthen Ghana’s capacity to produce food locally.
