The Food Research Institute of the Council for Scientific and Industrial Research (CSIR), has rendered Ghanaian farmers mostly into staple crops some support to boost production.
According to the Institute, a lift in the production of underutilised crops will encourage consumption among Ghanaians with the single aim of boosting people’s immune system.
Speaking for the Institute, a Health Nutritionist, Dr. Jolene Mateko Nyako, stated that following the outbreak of the novel coronavirus and the restrictions it came with, there has been an increase in the consumption of local agricultural produce.
Hence, she emphasised the need to amass support for farmers in these perilous times as it is the only way to achieving the intent of boosting people’s immune systems while ensuring food security.
“We are trying to incorporate some of our indigenous lost underutilized crops like the yellow corn, yellow yam and ‘afase’ because they are no longer being eaten in the volumes that they used to be. But they are highly nutritious and have the key nutrients that we need as we fight COVID-19. So, if we are promoting our indigenous foods now, post COVID we need to keep these nutritious patterns that we have picked on to help our local economy and also support the farmers.”
The advent of the novel Coronavirus has shaken economies worldwide hence disrupting global supply chains leading to food insecurity.
As a result of the need to implement safety protocols such as social distancing, most farmers especially those who employ a large number of labourers had to reduce the numbers, thereby affecting production.
However, the steady easing of the restrictions has led to a gradual pick up process in the production levels of farmers.
We are committed to sustaining food security amidst COVID-19 – CSIR
As the CSIR has pledged to support farmers, it has also noted that it is partnering with allied institutions to advance food processing in Ghana to ensure food security and boost revenue as well as economic development amid the coronavirus pandemic.
