A key feature of the tomato sector in Ghana is the organisation and strength of the market queens, who effectively control distribution networks and the number of trucks of tomatoes that can enter the larger wholesale markets on any particular day. In the press and the grey literature, these market queens are variously portrayed as the only group in the tomato value chain which is disciplined and organised, reducing risk, uncertainty, and spoilage of what is a highly perishable fruit; or as a cartel to the detriment of both consumers who pay inflated prices and producers who receive lower prices or get no market at all. In reality, the impact of Ghana’s tomato traders on the sector is not sufficiently understood. But certainly, the two level marketing system has enabled market power to evolve and concentrate over time with the traders.
It is against this backdrop that we explore tomato marketing in Ghana. Our focus in this document is the linkages between farmers, traders, and retailers. Details on production and processing can be found in separate technical notes. The information in this document comes from a number of sources including the market traders themselves, who have produced their own document outlining their perspective on the tomato trade (Tomato Traders report to IFPRI 2009); interviews with farmers and other actors along the value chain; peer-reviewed and grey literature; and our own farmer and market surveys. Because there are very different perspectives on the role of the market traders, we rely as much as possible on verifiable information and data, but also provide a sense of the different and nuanced perspectives on traders and their role.