Private legal practitioner Martin Kpebu has said that the ban on export of tomatoes by Burkina Faso should be a wake-up call for Ghana to step up its agricultural business.
He says that if Burkina Faso, which has dry land, is able to produce more tomatoes, then Ghana, with its arable land, has no reason to be importing tomatoes.
“This should cause Ghana to step up agribusiness; we can’t continue to be fed by Burkina Faso, a dry land,” he said on the Key Points on TV3 Saturday, March 21.
“Look at the land, we have a lot of arable land here, we have no excuse, people in the desert are doing serious farming,” he added.
The Government of Ghana through the Ministry of Trade, Agribusiness and Industry has announced plans to engage authorities in Burkina Faso over the country’s decision to suspend the export of fresh tomatoes, a move expected to impact tomato supply on the Ghanaian market.
This follows Burkina Faso’s directive suspending the export of fresh tomatoes, which took effect on March 16, 2026.
In a statement issued on Friday, March 20, the Ministry of Trade, Agribusiness and Industry said the engagement with the Burkina Faso counter parts will seek to address concerns surrounding the ban and chart a mutually beneficial way forward for both countries.
The government reiterated its commitment to working with stakeholders to boost local tomato production under the “Feed Ghana” and “Feed the Industry” programmes, aimed at increasing output to meet demand on the domestic market.
The Ministry also appealed to tomato traders to remain calm as discussions progress, expressing optimism that an amicable resolution will be reached to restore normal trade flows between the two countries.
Read also: Burkina Faso bans fresh tomato exports
