Tamale, Ghana – The Northern Regional Coordinating Council (NRCC) has entered into a strategic partnership with the Jiangxi Academy of Agricultural Science (JXAAS), a renowned Chinese research institution, to enhance food production in Ghana. The collaboration aims to develop improved rice seed varieties, significantly boosting rice production in the region.
The memorandum of understanding (MoU), signed between the Crop Gene Bank of Jiangxi Province and the Council for Scientific and Industrial Research-Savanna Agricultural Research Institute (CSIR-SARI), outlines a hybrid research demonstration project. Under this agreement, JXAAS will provide CSIR-SARI with technical support to develop high-yielding, weather-tolerant rice varieties.
As part of the initiative, five sets of hybrid rice varieties from JXAAS—hukenyou taixiang, luohongyou 1564, quanguangyou 822, quanyou simiao, and wanfengyousizhan—will be evaluated and potentially integrated into the region’s agricultural practices.
The MoU was signed by the Northern Regional Minister, Shani Alhassan Shaibu, on behalf of the NRCC, and the Vice-President of JXAAS, Prof. Liu Guangrong, representing the Chinese institution.
Significance
Alhaji Shaibu praised the academy for initiating this collaboration, emphasizing its potential to significantly boost rice production and ease the challenges farmers face in accessing quality rice varieties. He highlighted that rice is a staple food for households across the region and the country, making it essential to increase production to meet rising demand.
The minister noted that the region had previously received agricultural equipment from the Chinese government, which had substantially contributed to the growth of the local agricultural sector. “A previous agreement with the academy led to a rapid increase in rice production, benefiting many farmers and households in our region,” he added.
Impact
Prof. Guangrong expressed confidence in the project’s impact, citing the region’s vast arable land and significant agricultural potential. “We aim to expand our cooperation beyond rice production to other crops, thereby increasing food production and strengthening the agricultural sector,” he said.
Alex Yeboah, the acting Head of the Rice Improvement Programme at CSIR-SARI, highlighted the success of previous collaborations with JXAAS, which led to the evaluation and field performance introduction of five rice varieties. He noted that among these, CSIR-Malimali and CSIR-Savanna were released and commercialized for production.
The partnership between NRCC and JXAAS marks a significant step toward improving rice production and overall food security in the Northern Region of Ghana.
source: BusinessGhana.com