SSVFMA sets new modalities, standardisation measures ahead of 2026 tomato harvest season

ANLOGA (Volta Region) – August 7 2026

The Southern Sector Vegetable Farmers and Marketers Association (SSVFMA) has adopted new modalities to regulate its activities ahead of the upcoming harvesting season, with the association standardising the size of crates to be used for loading tomatoes and warning farmers, loaders and buyers to strictly comply with the new requirements.

Under the new standard, tomato crates must measure 2 feet by 2 feet square, with each approved crate designed to contain four normal-sized tomato baskets.

The association said the measure was aimed at ensuring uniform quantification of tomatoes, promoting fairness in transactions and reducing disputes and cheating between farmers and buyers.

The directives were announced at a general meeting of the association held at the Global Evangelical Church Chapel at Anloga on Thursday, August 6, 2026, where members discussed measures to regulate vegetable production, loading and marketing in the southern sector.

Mr Nelson Kwabla Deynu, President of the SSVFMA, said standardisation of measurements was one of the association’s key objectives, particularly for tomatoes, carrots, shallots, pepper and other vegetables.

He said the initiative would provide a common basis for determining the quantity and value of produce and ensure that farmers and buyers received fair value in their transactions.

Mr Deynu also urged farmers to deal directly with buyers in determining the price and quantity of their produce, rather than relying on intermediaries who could create disagreements or distort the transaction process.

He said the Anloga District Assembly had incorporated the agreed standards into its bye-laws, giving the initiative legal backing and providing a basis for enforcement against defaulters.

Mr Felix Gbekor, Secretary of the SSVFMA, told Veritas News GH that the new standard would be strictly enforced during the tomato season.

He said farmers, loaders and buyers who used, loaded or accepted non-standard crates would be held responsible, with 12 penalty units imposed for each non-compliant crate, subject to the applicable enforcement procedures.

“This will not be business as usual where defaulters will be left to go. Now we have a bye-law, and the District Assembly is fully behind us, and anyone found guilty will be processed for court,” he said.

The association said the enforcement would also help address longstanding concerns over inconsistent measurements, disagreements about quantities and the role of loading boys as intermediaries between farmers and buyers.

As part of the new arrangements, the association said it would establish designated entry points or barriers where buyers arriving with trucks to purchase and load tomatoes would be required to undergo an orientation on the market rules and loading procedures before commencing transactions.

The association said the measure was intended to ensure that buyers were properly informed about the approved crate size, quantification procedures and other trading requirements before engaging farmers.

It further disclosed that the new arrangements had already been communicated to major customers and buyers in Accra, Kumasi, Winneba, Kasoa and Madina ahead of the harvesting season.

Mr Segbefia Bright, an executive member of the association from Agbozume, urged members to strictly adhere to the standardisation measures.

He said the association was also working towards proper loading and quantification standards for other vegetables, including beetroot, carrots and sweet pepper, to bring greater consistency to vegetable trading.

The SSVFMA brings together vegetable farmers and marketers from Ada, Anloga, Keta, Ketu South and Ketu North, some of the major vegetable-producing areas in the southern sector.

With farmers in these communities expected to begin harvesting tomatoes soon, the association said the standardised crate system would be particularly important as buyers from different parts of the country converge on the production communities to purchase and transport large quantities of the crop.

The association has therefore urged farmers, loaders and buyers to familiarise themselves with the 2-by-2-foot standard crate, equivalent to four normal-sized tomato baskets, and comply with the new requirements to ensure a transparent, orderly and fair tomato marketing season.