A 2010 Working Paper by the International Food Policy Research, shows that all improved vegetable seeds that are planted in Ghana are imported. Almost 13 years on, the situation hasn’t changed. As Ghana is the largest importer of tomato seeds in the world, according to trade data from the website Volza. The data shows tomato seed import shipments in Ghana stood at 44, imported by seven Ghana importers from six suppliers.
Ghana imports most of its tomato seed from India, South Africa, and France and is the largest importer of tomato seed in the world, the information says.
Ghana is also estimated to import some 840,000 tons of tomatoes every year.
While at it, Ghana has some world-class seed developing centers in the country. One such center, designated as one of the African Centers of Excellence, is the West Africa Center for Crop Improvement (WACCI) at the University of Ghana, Legon. Started some 15 years ago, WACCI, which trains Africans on crops in Africa, also develops varieties of crops and seeds.
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