Vegetable farmers in the Northern Region are to benefit from a new type of fertiliser developed by the Savannah Agricultural Research Institute (SARI).
Known as inoculants, the fertiliser contains a higher level of nitrogen and thus enable vegetable farmers to get higher yields.
A soil microbiologist at SARI, Rev. Dr Benjamin Ahiabor, announced this at the maiden Annual General Meeting (AGM) of the Ghana Agri-Input Dealers Association (GAIDA) in Tamale.
The AGM was on the theme: “A well-informed GAIDA for a quality input service delivery to the Ghanaian farmer.”
SARI is one of the 13 research institutes under the Council for Scientific and Industrial Research (CSIR). SARI’s mandate is to provide small-scale farmers in the three regions of northern Ghana with appropriate innovation to increase their food production base on a sustainable production system .
Rev. Dr Ahiabor said the new fertiliser was very cheap which would, therefore, enable farmers to invest part of their money into other important sectors.
Training
The soil microbiologist said currently the Ministry of Food and Agriculture (MoFA) was training its technicians on the best modes of application of these fertilisers.
The Executive Secretary of GAABIC, Mr Edward Kofi Ametepe, said the association was developing and distributing over 2,000 technical leaflets to farmers on the proper handling and use of these agro inputs.
The project leader for GAABIC, Mr Isaac N. Combat, in an interview, said 410 trained agro dealers had so far been trained under the mentorship project.
