By Albert Futukpor
Nyankpala (N/R), Dec 23, GNA – The Council for Scientific and Industrial Research-Savanna Agricultural Research Institute (CSIR-SARI) in collaboration with the International Maize and Wheat Improvement Centre (CIMMYT) has held a stakeholders’ engagement meeting to dialogue on scaling the adoption of improved varieties of pearl millet, sorghum, and groundnut.
The meeting was also to showcase the agronomic and economic benefits of newly developed crop varieties as well as strengthen partnerships within the seed value chain to enhance adoption.
It was also to discuss challenges in seed dissemination and propose actionable solutions as well as develop a roadmap for scaling adoption and creating market demand for the varieties.
The meeting formed part of ongoing efforts to transition from traditional seed systems to a demand-driven approach to ensure that farmers accessed seeds aligned with their agro-ecological and market needs.
About 300 participants, drawn from various sectors including agricultural research institutes, seed companies, agro-dealers, farmers, policymakers, NGOs, and development partners, attended the one-day meeting held at Nyankpala near Tamale.
Dr Francis Kusi, Director, CSIR-SARI, said the organisation commitment to farmers means that they would ensure that they come out with quality and high yielding new varieties of seeds to boost productivity and incomes.
The pear millet, sorghum, and groundnut varieties have been developed to address production challenges such as low yields, pest and disease vulnerabilities, and climate change impact.
Dr Kusi said, “As a research institute, it is our duty to always study the environment and bring you good quality and high yielding varieties of seeds based on the climate change we face as a country.”
He urged farmers to adopt the new varieties and plant them for better harvests.
He advised farmers, who were involved in the piloting of the new varieties, to share their positive experiences with other farmers in their communities and beyond and encourage them to adopt them for increased productivity.
Dr Doris Kanvenaa Puozaa, Seed System Specialist for Western and Central Africa, lauded the meeting and said it would help improve seed delivery systems to ensure that certified seeds were available to farmers and other stakeholders for cultivation.
Hajia Hawa Musah, Northern Regional Director of Agriculture, also lauded the initiative, said it was important in attaining food security, employment opportunities and reduction of poverty in the country.
Some farmers, who were involved in the piloting of the varieties, shared their experiences praising the new varieties as high yielding.
GNA