Tamale, Jan. 31, GNA – A Professor of Horticulture has called for the establishment of a Horticultural Institute to research indigenous and traditional horticultural crops, develop and make them competitive for the export market.
Professor George Nyarko, a Professor of Horticulture at the University for Development Studies (UDS), who made the call, said the move would make indigenous and traditional horticultural crops (plants for food, for medicinal purposes, and aesthetic gratification and environmental quality improvement) competitive as they would be well-packaged, especially for the international market.
Professor Nyarko said, “It is through research that we can develop the indigenous and traditional crops so that they can be competitive when we export them. When we have the information on the nutrients that they contain, and their medicinal values, when we are exporting them and we say they can cure cancer, and they contain these vitamins; that is when we will be able to market them.”
He made the call when delivering his inaugural lecture at UDS in Tamale on the topic: “Indigenous and Traditional Horticultural Crops: Sustaining Livelihoods in Sub-Saharan Africa.”
Professor Nyarko said, “The lack of a Horticultural Institute is affecting the economy a lot because we cannot send indigenous and traditional vegetables outside to get the maximum use of the plants. For example, grapes are not produced here but they send them here and we are selling them because of how they package them. We have apples here and we are eating them because of how they are packaged. So, if you do not develop them and learn about the crops, it is difficult for you to market them and get a lot of revenues from them.”
He said promoting indigenous and traditional horticultural crops would also generate employment for many rural communities especially women to help reduce poverty in the country.
He asserted that many of the indigenous and traditional horticultural crops were superior in nutrients compared to the exotic ones, adding “The deployment of indigenous and traditional horticultural crops will help the country to achieve many of the Sustainable Development Goals.”
Professor Nyarko also touched on the domestication of some globally important crops such as cabbage and lettuce, saying their seeds were expensive, making the prices of the crops expensive but if produced in the country, they would be affordable to all to consume to boost their nutritional status to develop well.
He called for the training of more extension officers to educate farmers on simple good agricultural practices to help increase their yields.
Professor Gabriel Ayum Teye, Vice-Chancellor of UDS, who chaired the event, called for concerted efforts to support the horticultural sector because it was very important for the socio-economic development of the country.
GNA