CSIR develops 2 new tomato varieties

Two new variety of tomatoes namely, CRI Kwabena Kwabena and CRI COPIA have been developed by the Council for Scientific and Industrial Research’s (CSIR) Crops Research Institute (CRI) under the Technologies for African Agricultural Transformation (TAAT) programme.

The TAAT programme launched by the African Development Bank (ADB) in 2018 aimed at catalysing agricultural growth, improving food security, and promoting inclusive growth across Africa.

Speaking at a durbar of farmers at Kpetoe in the Agortime-Ziope District of the Volta Region on Wednesday, the Principal Research Scientist and Head of the Kwadaso Research Station Vegetable Breeder, Dr Michael Kwabena Osei, said in Ghana, the CSIR-Crops Research Institute (CSIR-CRI) was implementing the TAATII vegetable compact project.

Dr Osei announced that the new varieties of tomatoes were specially designed to stand climate change being experienced in the country, high yielding, high nutritional value, and early maturity and last for a longer period after harvest.

He stressed that the project focused on promoting the development of the vegetable sector, with the objective to improve the livelihoods of farmers, promoting the adoption of improved vegetable varieties to enhance productivity, and strengthen the vegetable value chain.

Dr Osei also led scientists at the durbar and conducted sensory test for farmers to evaluate and accept or reject the new varieties of tomatoes used in the preparation of the dishes, and after the test the farmers accepted the new varieties of the tomatoes describing the work of the scientists at the CSIR-CRI as a major breakthrough for the vegetable sector.

According to the lead scientist, once farmers had approved of the new vegetable varieties, the seeds would be made available to them, and the price would also be moderate to enable them to increase their yields, to address the nutrition problem facing Ghanaians.

Dr Osei stressed that “vegetables are crucial in our daily meal and scientists are always working hard to meet the high demands, we have come out with varieties of tomatoes therefore farmers must also play their roles to cultivate them to meet the nutritional needs of the people to promote good health.”

A Representative from the World Vegetable Centre (WVC), Mr Paul Alhassan Zaato, said his outfit encouraged technology transfer centres in Ghana like CSIR-CRI and other parts of Africa to ensure that technologies used would promote agricultural transformation, which would be carried out particularly vegetable production to provide the nutritional needs of the people.

Mr Zaato commended CSIR-CRI for the continuous breakthrough with new varieties of vegetables, and urged Ghanaians to develop interest in consuming vegetables to improve on their health.

The Agortime-Ziope District Director of Food and Agriculture, Mr Mawuli Abusah, assured that the new seeds would be made available to farmers, and education on its cultivation would be carried out to ensure that farmers derived maximum benefit from their efforts.