By Florence Afriyie Mensah
Jinijini (B/R), Aug. 18, GNA – Some vegetable farmers in the Bono Region have received practical agronomic training on tomato, okra and amaranth production to enhance productivity, improve nutrition and address post-harvest losses.
The training, facilitated by researchers from the Council for Scientific and Industrial Research-Crops Research Institute (CSIR-CRI), engaged more than 200 farmers from the Berekum West, Berekum East and Dormaa East districts.
It formed part of the ongoing Technologies for African Agricultural Transformation (TAAT) programme, launched by the African Development Bank to catalyse agricultural growth, improve food security and promote inclusive growth across Africa.
In Ghana, CSIR-CRI is implementing the TAAT II Vegetable Compact Project, which focuses on promoting the development, increased productivity and consumption of tomato, okra and amaranth to improve nutrition, food security and farmer incomes.
The project has demonstrated the crops at three locations each in the Volta Region—Adidome-Ziope, Adaklu and North Akatsi; Upper East Region—Tono, Vea and Pwalugu; and Bono Region—Berekum East, Dormaa East and Berekum Municipal.
The selected farmers were educated on good agronomic practices and the nutritional benefits of vegetables, and were provided with improved vegetable seeds for planting.
Dr Michael Kwabena Osei, Project Lead of the TAAT II Vegetable Compact and Principal Research Scientist/Vegetable Breeder at CSIR-CRI, said the project was designed to enable smallholder farmers to adopt improved technologies in the selected crops to maximise profits and improve household nutrition.
Dr Osei, who led the training on tomato production, compared existing farming practices with modern agronomic practices and technologies, including nursery establishment and management, land preparation, transplanting and appropriate fertiliser application.
He said integrated pest and disease management, proper crop nutrition and post-harvest handling techniques were required to improve yields, fruit quality and profitability.
He noted that tomato was an important vegetable crop worldwide and in Ghana, where it was almost an indispensable ingredient in the daily diets of people across all regions.
Despite the economic and health benefits of tomatoes and their contribution to the national economy, he said Ghana faced a general shortage of tomatoes due to poor application of good agronomic practices, resulting in low productivity.
He said improving tomato production would create opportunities for farmers to increase their incomes, improve livelihoods and boost productivity.
Mr Prince Atta Baah, a Research Scientist at CSIR-CRI, who facilitated the session on okra, engaged farmers on viable seed selection, proper planting methods, recommended spacing and fertiliser application to boost crop growth.
He explained that okra was a significant vegetable crop in Ghana, known for its edible green seed pods, and its adaptability to various agro-ecological zones had made it widely cultivated and an essential part of the country’s diet and economy.
He said okra served as a source of income for many smallholder farmers in rural and urban areas, with the crop sold fresh in local markets or dried for off-season use.
The crop was also used in the local pharmaceutical industry because of its mucilaginous properties, which were beneficial for health products.
Mr Joshua Atisu, a Breeder at CSIR-CRI, who handled the training on amaranth production, highlighted the crop’s climate resilience, fast growth and high nutritional value.
He said amaranth was easily cultivated in gardens and fields and took farmers through practical steps for successful production, including land preparation, correct seed rates, nutrient management and timely harvesting to ensure continuous leaf supply and improved yields.
GNA
Edited by Kwabia Owusu-Mensah/Audrey Dekalu
Reporter: Florence Afriyie Mensah
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