{
  "id": 628152,
  "title": "Ghana’s tomato, ginger shortfalls deepen import bill, CSIR researchers say",
  "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/08/12/ghanas-tomato-ginger-shortfalls-deepen-import-bill-csir-researchers",
  "topic": "business",
  "section": "Business",
  "published": "2026-08-12T02:45:00.000Z",
  "source": {
    "name": "Joy Business",
    "slug": "joy-business",
    "url": "https://www.myjoyonline.com/ghanas-tomato-ginger-shortfalls-deepen-import-bill-csir-researchers-say/"
  },
  "original_language": "en",
  "account": "Ghana faces significant tomato and ginger import challenges, according to researchers at the Council for Scientific and Industrial Research (CSIR). Tomatoes alone cost over US$230 million each year, while ginger imports exceed US$500,000 annually. The primary driver of these shortages is weak seed systems, limited irrigation, poor soil health, disease pressure, and insufficient investment in horticultural research. The CSIR's interventions aim to tackle these issues through research-led recovery.\n\nFor tomatoes, Ghana produces only 15-18% of the required 1.4 million metric tonnes annually, with imports mainly from Burkina Faso and China/Europe. The country's average yield is insufficient compared to potential yields, and many small-scale farmers use poor-quality seeds. Only about 9,000 hectares of the 15,000 hectares with irrigation schemes are currently in use, exacerbating the issue. Experts propose a range of interventions, including rapid variety evaluation, certified seed production, training, improved soil quality, mechanization hubs, and protected cultivation techniques.\n\nGinger production has also plummeted due to a bacterial wilt outbreak, leaving the country 99% dependent on imports. Ghana spends over US$500,000 annually on ginger imports, and the pathogen causing the disease cannot be chemically treated once it infects a crop. The CSIR's ginger recovery plan focuses on developing resistant varieties, producing disease-free planting material, and deploying a network of extension workers to educate farmers on prevention and management techniques.",
  "summary": "Ghana’s tomato imports alone exceed US$230 million annually, while a disease-driven collapse of ginger has left the country 99 per cent import-dependent, Council for Scientific and Industrial Research (CSIR) researchers have said, urging a research-led recovery.",
  "key_points": [],
  "editors_take": null,
  "illustration": null,
  "coverage": {
    "outlets": 2,
    "also_reported_by": [
      {
        "outlet": "MyJoyOnline Ghana",
        "title": "Ghana’s tomato, ginger shortfalls deepen import bill, CSIR researchers say",
        "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/08/12/ghanas-tomato-ginger-shortfalls-deepen-import-bill-csir-researchers-633641",
        "published": "2026-08-12T02:45:00.000Z"
      }
    ]
  },
  "ai_generated": true,
  "disclaimer": "Summaries, key points and the editor’s take are written by software from other outlets’ reporting and may contain errors — always check the linked original."
}