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Regional News of Monday, April 29, 2019
Source: Ghananewsagency.org
2019-04-29
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The International Crops Research Institute for the Semi-Arid Tropics (ICRISAT) presented farmers with a new variety of peanut seeds presented to farmers by 61 communities in six districts of the country. Upper West Region.
The varieties, which agricultural scientists have described as having high yield potential and aflatoxin resistance, include Nkatiesari, which has 110 days of maturity and a yield potential of 2.2 tonnes per hectare.
The others are Samnut22 with a maturity of 115 to 120 days and Yenyawoso, a maturity level of 85 to 90 days and a yield potential of 2.0 tonnes per hectare.
The six districts and municipalities selected include Wa Municipal, Wa West, Wa East, Sissala West, Sissala East Municipal and Jirapa Municipal.
Mr. Kwasi Wih, Deputy Regional Director of the Department of Food and Agriculture for the Upper West, said that the groundnut capacity building project of ICRISAT aimed to increase the peanut productivity of small farmers.
The project is funded by the United States Agency for International Development (USAID) as part of its Transfer of Technology Transfer in Agriculture (ATT) project.
It aims to increase peanut production and smallholder productivity and improve their incomes, nutrition and health status.
Mr Wih added that the project's objectives were to improve farmers' knowledge of improved groundnut production technologies and complementary crop management practices.
He also said that the initiative also aims to improve seed production and marketing and to increase farmers' knowledge of aflatoxin management and access to small-scale processing technologies.
Emmanuel Sasu Yeboah, Regional Director for Agriculture of the Upper West, said the region has a considerable number of peanut producers who could use the new varieties to improve their standard of living.
He said the land was very fertile for peanut production and congratulated smallholder farmers for promoting new and improved varieties.
Professor Paul B. Tanzubil, country project manager at ICRISAT, said that aflatoxins in agricultural crops such as maize and groundnuts are dangerous for the health of consumers.
"Aflatoxins are Aspergillus flavus and Aspergillus parasiticus, which are abundant in hot, humid areas and can contaminate crops in the fields, at harvest and during storage," he said. declared. People can be exposed to aflatoxins by eating contaminated crops such as corn and peanuts.
He warned farmers and other workers in the agricultural value chain, particularly those in the groundnut and olive oil sector, to separate contaminated seeds from good ones. before the transformation.
People exposed to aflatoxins have an increased risk of liver cancer and other life-threatening diseases that can lead to death.
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