Akatsi (VR), May 26, GNA – Selected cassava farmers within the Akatsi South Municipality in the Volta Region have participated in a workshop on cassava viral diseases and their management.
The training was aimed at training and educating cassava farmers on how to identify diseases and vectors namely, white fly, mealy bugs, cassava green mites, and grasshoppers that transmit the diseases, where emphasis was also on viral diseases such as Cassava Mosaic Disease (CMD), and Cassava Brown Streak Disease (CBSD).
Mr Charles Grunitzky, the Akatsi South Municipal Director of Agriculture, revealed that the training would help have enough food and the safety of crops in the area.
“This training will increase the quantity and quality of agricultural products in the Municipality,” he said.
Dr Allen Oppong, Coordinator for Central and West African Virus Epidemiology for Food and Security and leader of the team, in an engagement with the media, said similar workshops were held in other parts of the country and that “Akatsi South was another selected area due to its dominance in cassava production.”
The cassava diseases awareness and sensitisation programme was a collaboration between the Department of Agriculture, Akatsi South and the Council for Scientific and Industrial Research- Crops Research Institute (CSIR-CIR) under the auspices of the Central and West Africa Virus Epidemiology for root and tuber crops.
Other team members from the CSIR who participated during the event include, Mrs Benedicta Nsiah Frimpong, Esther Agyeman Marfo, Peter Amoah, chief accountant, Joseph Awoodzie, Dr Ruth Prempeh, and Bernard Sakyiama, Secretary.
The team also introduced an application known as PlantVillage Nuru App that would help farmers and extension agents to identify diseases by taking pictures of leaves of the diseased plant.
A total of 100 farmers took part in the programme which was held at the Akatsi South Municipal Assembly Hall after which they were later transported to the field for demonstration activities.
Madam Juliet Tali, a participant, told the Ghana News Agency the training was an important one which would help expand their farming activities.
Currently, there is no cassava disease outbreak within the Akatsi Municipality.
GNA