Even with the glaring risks the infertile soil posed, vegetable farmers in Anloga did not let it deter them from investing thousands of cedis in the soil.
They augmented the soil with cow dung and poultry manure brought from far and near to grow vegetables such as onions, tomatoes, okro, peppers, carrots, and lettuce, among others.
Because irrigation like dugouts and sprinklers is common in Anloga, these vegetables are rotated to ensure efficient use of the land all-year.
“The soil here is porous and has very low nutrients. So we depend on cow dung, poultry manure, and fertilisers just to make production possible,” Bright Adzrah, the owner of B. A Joco Farms and vegetable farmer explained.
What is usually a waste in other parts of the country is one of the key drivers of commercial farming in Anloga, with a 50kg bag costing Gh¢30. A farmer needs about 50 bags each of poultry and cow manure on an acre.
Access is not a challenge.
“There are warehouses with stocks of cow dung and poultry manure here,” Adzrah told the Ghanaian Farmer.
Tomato Production Is A Big Deal
There are about 28,000 farmers in Anloga District. 18,000 to 22,000 of them produce tomatoes every year.
Farmers are currently harvesting through to the end of October.
The situation around this period is usually a glut, but the 2025/2026 season has seen some improvements, as some of the farmers are utilising social media to sell their harvests instead of waiting for traders to arrive with the boxes.
A visit to the area on Thursday, September 24 found thousands of boxes and baskets of harvested tomatoes. But there were buyers who were also on site, bargaining with the farmers.
At the time, the price for a basket was Gh¢300 to Gh¢350 depending on the variety and Gh¢1,200 and Gh1,400 for the box.
“From next week, the price may start going up again. That’s the nature of the tomato farming business. Some farmers observe the timing before planting in order not to meet the glut,” Adzrah explained.
Even though tomato farming in Angloga is capital-intensive, it is profitable. Farmers estimate production costs at between GH¢40,000 and GH¢45,000 per acre, largely driven by expensive hybrid seeds, fertilisers, and soil amendments.
“Despite these costs, yields can reach 15 to 18 tonnes per acre, depending on agronomic practices and seed quality.”
“You can make up to 53 per cent per cycle, depending on input efficiency and market prices.
Farming is very competitive, with access becoming a major constraint for expansion.
Land access, they said, is now determined by financial capacity rather than farming need, limiting youth participation and smallholder expansion.
“The land here is very competitive. Some people with more money come and take land from others. So if we don’t strategise, it will be difficult for small farmers to survive,” Adzrah said.
