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By Charles Chedar, RNG
Wa, April 29
GNA – A total of 61 communities in six districts in the Western West region have
have taken advantage of the new variety of peanut seeds introduced to farmers by
International Crops Research Institute for the Semi-Arid Tropics (ICRISAT).
The varieties,
that agricultural scientists describe as high-yielding potentials and
Nkatiesari, which is 110 days old, is aflatoxin resistant
level and yield potential of 2.2 tonnes per hectare.
The others are
Samnut22 with a maturity of 115 to 120 days and Yenyawoso, from 85 to 90 days
level and yield potential of 2.0 tonnes per hectare.
The selection
six districts and municipalities include Wa Municipal, Wa West, Wa East, Sissala
West, East Sissala Municipal and Jirapa Municipal.
Mr. Kwasi Wih,
Deputy Regional Director of the Department of Food and Agriculture in the Upper West
stated that the ICRISAT project aimed at increasing the volume of peanuts
smallholder productivity.
The project is
funded by the United States Agency for International Development (USAID)
as part of its Technology Transfer for Food in the Future (ATT) project.
He seeks to
increase peanut production and the productivity of small farmers and
improve their income, nutrition and health status.
Mr. Wih added
The objectives of the project were to improve farmers' knowledge of how to improve
peanut production technologies and complementary crop management practices.
He said that
also aims to improve seed production and marketing and to increase farmers' knowledge.
on the management of aflatoxin as well as on access to small scale treatment
technologies.
Emmanuel Sasu
Yeboah, regional director for western western agriculture, said the region
number of peanut producers able to seize the opportunity of the new
varieties to improve their standard of living.
He said the
the land was very fertile for the production of peanuts and congratulated the small producer
farmers for the promotion of new improved varieties.
Professor Paul
B. Tanzubil, National Project Manager of ICRISAT, stated that aflatoxins found on
crops like corn and peanuts were dangerous for
healthy consumers.
"Aflatoxins
Aspergillus flavus and Aspergillus parasiticus, which are abundant in warm regions
and wetlands and can contaminate crops in the field, at harvest, and
during storage, "he said.
People can be
exposed to aflatoxins by eating contaminated crops such as maize and
peanuts.
He warned
farmers and other workers in the agricultural value chain, particularly those in the
peanut paste industry and oil to separate contaminated seeds from good
those before treatment.
Exposed people
aflatoxins would have an increased risk of liver cancer and other
deadly diseases that can lead to death.
GNA
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