U/E/R: CSIR-SARI presents Hybrid Sorghum Varieties to farmers

It has become very important to take seed production seriously as an institution mandated to produce quality early generation seeds for players in the Agriculture seed sector to revamp food security against hunger.

This was disclosed by the Director of the Savanna Agriculture Research Institute of the Council for Scientific and Industrial Research CSIR-SARI, Dr. Francis Kusi, at a field day in Binduri District, in the Upper East Region, to showcase three hybrid sorghum varieties presented to the National Varietal Release and Registration Committee (NVRRC) the previous week for inspection and recommendation.

In an interview with Modern Ghana News at Manga, Dr. Kusi said, as part of the seed dissemination exercise, farmers were brought on board from Binduri and other Districts to see the performance of the varieties under cultivation and to be linked to the huge market that awaits them. He indicated that CSIR-SARI has been able to increase early generation sorghum seed production this year due to the sponsorship of Guinness Ghana Limited, an off-taker.

Dr. Kusi stated that it is now crucial to produce quality sorghum seeds in the right quantities so that seed companies can obtain adequate foundation seeds to produce certified seeds for supply to farmers to scale up sorghum production to meet the huge demand from Guinness Ghana.

The Market Manager, Agriculture Development for Guinness Ghana Breweries PLC (GGBPLC), Mr. Stephen Ghansah is in charge of sourcing from all the local raw materials to feed the brewery, of which sorghum is key.

He added that GGBPLC has replaced barley they used to import with sorghum, hence the need to get more farmers into sorghum production. Farmers are therefore assured of ready market.

The field day was also used to expose the farmers to the high-yielding varieties and educate them on the adoption of good agronomic practices for the cultivation of sorghum to increase productivity. The farmers were taken through the field to see how the improved practices have resulted in increased yields.

The Officer in charge of the field demonstration, Mr. Peter Asungre stated that sorghum happens to be the best substitute for barley for the production of the various kinds of drinks brewed by Guinness Ghana, and since CSIR-SARI is the only institution responsible for the production of early generation seeds of sorghum there is, therefore, the need to champion the breeding and dissemination of breeder and foundation seeds.