The Crops Research Institute of the Council for Scientific and Industrial Research (CSIR-CRI) is championing the production of early generation seeds for soybean production in Ghana.
The Institute is partnering the Harnessing Agricultural Productivity and Prosperity for Youth (HAPPY) Prograamme, and the West Africa Food Systems Resilience Project (FSRP), to fund the production of about three tonnes of early generation seeds for the soybean variety called ‘Toondana’.
The HAPPY programme is a consortium-managed project for catalyzing transformative investments in the rice, soybean, tomato, and poultry value chains, in the production of early generation soybean seeds.
In addition, the FSRP is pushing to promote sustainable production and productivity, by increasing stakeholders’ access to Climate Smart Agriculture (CSA) as well as nutrition sensitive technologies, to develop priority value chains such as that of soybeans.
The ‘Toondana’ is a climate-smart (drought-tolerant, 95-100 days maturity) and a high-yielding (up to 3.5 t/ha) soybean variety receiving significant levels of adoption across soybean cultivation zones in Ghana.
Additionally, ‘Toondana’ has larger grain size compared to others and it is fairly resistant to the common diseases and insect pests that attack the crop.
Dr Sylvester Addy, Head of Legumes and Oil Seeds Improvement Division, CSIR-CRI, at a field day for soybean stakeholders and farmers at Kwadaso, said the extent of the use of certified seeds in the production of soybean was still very low, thus requiring the need for the production of more certified seeds for farmers to increase and improve productivity.
He was hopeful that as farmers adopted the ‘Toondana’ variety, receive quality certified seeds they could improve upon the yields per unit area.
Soybean (Glycine max) is a strategic crop that contributes significantly to food security, livestock feed production, and industrial applications in Ghana.
The soybean value chain – ranging from production, processing, storage, and marketing – generates employment for farmers, processors, traders, and transporters.
Increased production and productivity can reduce dependency on imports, strengthen food sovereignty, and improve the trade balance, Dr Addy assured.
He indicated that the field day was to, among other things, highlight the crucial role the CSIR-CRI played in ensuring an improved and sustainable soybean value chain in Ghana through the breeding of new improved varieties and the production of quality early generation seeds in Ghana.
The field day also showcased the CSIR’s and CRI’s support of government’s Ghana’s agricultural transformation agenda with its flagship programme, the “Feed Ghana Programme (FGP)” which aimed at food sovereignty, industrial growth, and job creation through modernizing farming, supporting value chains and boosting agro-processing.
Dr Addy explained that it was possible to cultivate soybean in the middle belt of Ghana, calling on farmers to invest in the cultivation of the improved varieties and maximize their gains.
The field day brought together officials from the Crops Services Directorate, Plant Protection and Regulatory Services Directorate and the Extension Services Directorate of MoFA.
Source: Access Agric
