Sikagoga disease resistant plantain introduced to farmers

The Council for Scientific and Industrial Research (CSIR) is undertaking vigorous researches to develop appropriate technologies to process some of the country's staple food crops to reduce post harvest losses.

The project, which is being funded by the World Bank under the Agricultural Sub-Sector Investment Project, started last year and it is expected to end by 2004.

Dr Joseph Cobbinah, Principal Research Scientist of CSIR, announced this at a farmer's field school on plantain and banana at Domeabra near Goaso in the Asunafo District in Brong-Ahafo on Wednesday.

The forum was to enable the farmers interact with scientists and donor organisations who are supporting the introduction of a new plantain and banana varieties which are currently on trials in the village.

The new varieties, which are highly resistant to the black Sikagoga disease, were developed by the International Institute of Tropical Agriculture (IITA) in Nigeria, and it is being introduced into the country through the assistance of Gatsby Charitable Foundation, a British Non-Governmental Organisation (NGO).

Dr Cobbinah observed that previous researches into staple food crops produced in the country had been limited to the production of improved and high yielding varieties, which had reached successful levels.

He said it was time scientists took a second look into their activities, adding that, "CSIR has taken up the challenge and it is encouraging food research institutions under the Council to come out with appropriate technologies to solve post harvest problems facing farmers".

Dr Cobbina assured the farmers in the area, which is the leading producer of plantain in the country that serious efforts were being made to produce technologies that would help preserve plantain and other tuber crops in the country.

Mr Philip Kwaku Titreku, Brong-Ahafo Regional Director of Agriculture, said last year, the region achieved its projected target of 504,139 metric tonnes of plantain.

He said farmers in the region have the capacity to produce more than that, but said post harvest loses, especially during bumper harvest, were frustrating their efforts.

Mr Titreku, therefore, encouraged the CSIR to develop appropriate technologies to address some of the problems.

Mr George Yaw Boakye, the District Chief Executive, appealed to donor partners to establish plantain-processing factory in the district to process the excess produced in the area.

He assured the farmers of the government's commitment to assist them to expand their farms.

Dr Felix Anno Nyarko, Co-ordinator of the Project, said the new plantain varieties were currently being tried in six leading plantain producing districts in the Ashanti, Brong-Ahafo, Eastern, Western, Volta and Central regions.