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Friday, July 25, 2014

Commercializing agricultural research for high productivity in Ghana

Agricultural products and technologies developed by Ghanaian researchers under the Council for Scientific and Industrial Research (CSIR) are not shelved but impacting on production levels of farmers and agro processors.

Director-General of the Council, Dr. Abdulai Baba Salifu, rather contends that the challenge is commercialization and large-scale production of the improved crop varieties to increase access to such products.

“The new push now is for greater commercialization and therefore we would very much like to partner the private sector to ensure that all the nice technologies that we’ve developed come to good use to that more people can get access,” he stated.

The Crops Research Institute (CRI) of the CSIR has developed and released over 90 improved food crop varieties for Ghanaian farmers and consumers since the 1970s. These include maize, cowpea, soybean, groundnut, rice, plantain, banana, pepper, yam, cassava, sweet potato and cocoyam.

To increase awareness of the Institute’s contribution to agricultural productivity in the country, the CSIR-CRI has held as Open Day in Kumasi to showcase improved technologies developed to support increased agricultural production and nutrition in Ghana as well as deepen relationships with major stakeholders in agricultural research and development.
 
The researchers, policy makers, farmers, industrialists and other users of research results had an opportunity to interact as they visited research fields and laboratories at the Institute.

The Ministry of Environment, Science, Technology and Innovation, acknowledged the agricultural research activities conducted by CSIR-Crops Research Institute provide great opportunities for long term poverty alleviation and food security in Ghana.

A statement from the Ministry however says the competitiveness of agricultural products from Ghana on the world market has been low because the crops are mostly produced and processed mainly at the subsistence level and not as commercial products.

“The public sector’s efforts to commercialize these crops and their products have been minimal and not quite effective. The challenge now then is how to commercialize and improve the competitiveness of our crops and other products on the market to help small-holder farmers who depend on the crops for their livelihoods,” it said.

Ghana is self sufficient in roots and tuber crops production – cassava, yam, sweet potato and cocoyam – which contribute 46% of the agricultural GDP. Ghana currently produces over 50% of cereals – maize and rice.

The Ministry of Food and Agriculture (MOFA) believes with the right policy environment, the research capacity exists within the CSIR to drastically reduce the huge annual import bill for rice.

According to Dr. Baba Salifu noted Ghanaian food crops are comparable to global brands, especially grain quality.

He observed that “some market women sometimes do bag our improved varieties, label them and sell them as imported grain,” due to the public obsession for foreign products.

“I will entreat Ghanaian consumers that most of the food commodities that you eat these days are originated by your Ghanaian scientists… there is no beans that you’re going to eat or buy from the market that was not developed by the CSIR,” said Dr. Salifu.

He added that some agro industries are also using the improved varieties as raw materials for processing.

The scientists are also concerned with “healthy seed for healthy plants” and therefore develop breeder seeds – including other planting materials – and release them to the Grains and Legumes Development Board of MOFA for foundation seed production. 

“The process continues until our farmers obtain certified seed for planting,” says Dr. Hans Adu-Dapaah, Director of the CSIR-CRI.

“We have played a part in moving the government agenda of achieving food security and improved livelihood for the people of this country forward,” noted Dr. Hans Adu-Dapaah, Director of the CSIR-CRI, adding that the Institute “would continue to put in our maximum effort for the advancement of agriculture and achievement of food security”.

Story by Kofi Adu Domfeh

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