The Crop Research Institute (CRI) of Council for Scientific Industrial Research (CSIR) has unveiled a newly efficient method of cultivating rice all year long to farmers in the Bono Region.

According to the spokesperson for Council for Scientific Industrial Research, Solomon Kwaku Boakye, the new method by Crop Research Institute will help farmers to increase yield and put an end to the seasonal method of farming practices. He thus, lauded the research institution for doing what is required of them.

“CSIR crop research institute is doing what they are supposed to do as a research organisation, always trying to bring out the best agricultural practices. So, everyone including stakeholders, government, researchers, farmers, and agriculturists themselves should all play their part”.
Solomon Kwaku Boakye

Mr Boakye therefore, called on the government and stakeholders within the agricultural sector to make available equipment and adequate resources for rice farmers to make Ghana self-sufficient in rice production.

“The farmers need a lot of resources to work with; some of them can fend for themselves, and some also need government interventions. Equipment like power tillers, threshers and harvesters are examples of resources they need.”
Solomon Kwaku Boakye

The spokesperson for CSIR stressed on the need for rice farmers to establish cooperatives to ease access to loans and support to help boost their operations.

“I will advise the farmers to put themselves into groups that will help them sought for funding for credit facilities.”
Solomon Kwaku Boakye

Government Prioritises Rice Production

According to the Bono regional director of MoFA, Dennis Abugri Amenga, rice production is a priority for the government and the potential is huge. He indicated that the prioritisation of the rice production is evident in the government’s spending on the Planting for Food and Job flagship programme.

“Rice production is a priority to the government because it is a food commodity and the potential of the country to produce rice is so huge. We are capable of not just feeding ourselves, but even exporting it. The regional minister has taken this seriously and has even had communications with the Municipal Chief Executives (MCEs) to give the needed support to farmers to push rice production in the region.”
Dennis Abugri Amenga

Mr Dennis Abugri Amenga pointed out that in the next few years to come, rice farmers across the country will gain a lot through the new method.

“So, we are looking at the next two or three years, rice production will be a huge gain. We are in February yet there’s rice on the ground. If we are able to manage our water regime we can even produce rice throughout the year.”
Dennis Abugri Amenga

Recently, in a bid to boost Ghana’s rice sufficiency, the Crops Research Institute of the Council for Scientific and Industrial Research (CSIR) triumphed on the test field as three new varieties were discovered. The varieties named as: CRI-Enepa, CRI-Kantinka and CRI-Amakwatia, were able to resist the rice blast disease.

The government through the Modernizing Agriculture in Ghana (MAG) project, with support from the Canadian government, aided CSIR-CRI to undertake the research meant to help farmers improve rice production.