Crop Research Institute develops more disease-resistant food crops

The Crops Research Institute (CRI) of the Council for Scientific and Industrial Research (CSIR), is developing 23 new crop varieties to boost food insecurity in the country.

Dr. Mrs. Stella Ama Ennin, the Director, said these were, early-maturing, high-yielding, disease-resistant, and could withstand harsh climatic conditions.

They include cassava, groundnuts, common beans, tomatoes, maize and pepper and she said these would be bring enormous benefits to seed growers.

The CRI Director in a media briefing at Fumesua in the Ejisu-Juaben Municipality, said the new bean variety, for instance, was the first to be developed locally.

It has high nutritional value and fortified with high iron content.

This was important considering the economic cost of micronutrient deficiencies, estimated at between 2.4 -10 percent of the Gross Domestic Product (GDP) in many developing countries.

Dr. Ennin said the micronutrient-rich bean variety would significantly improve the nutrition and health of many people across Africa, especially, women and children.

She indicated the new bean variety would soon be released and expressed confidence that it would assist to overcome malnutrition among Ghanaian children.

It would additionally aid the development of their cognitive power.

She underlined the need for the nation to focus more effort on developing high-yielding and drought-resistant crop varieties, given the threat posed by climate change.

Dr. Joe Manu-Aduening, a Senior Research Officer at the CRI, noted that the nation currently had a food production gap and said more shouldo be done to address that.

Source: GNA