CSIR, Not Planting For Food And Jobs, Is Behind Bumper Harvest

The bragging rights that the New Patriotic Party (NPP) government has been claiming for recent bumper harvests by farmers in the country has been challenged by a scientist, who is claiming scientists, and not politicians, are behind the good yields.

Prof. Mohammed Moro Buri, Director of the Ghana Soil Research Institute (SRI) of the Center for Scientific and Industrial Research (CSIR), today told the Public Accounts Committee of Parliament that soil science by his outfit is what has helped farmers to coax more out of their lands and that the Planting for Food and Jobs (PFJ) program of the NPP, only took advantage of the research from CSIR.

“Quite recently we hear that there is increased production in food of all sorts of crops in the country. That is because most of our recommendations, particularly in the field of newton management, fertilizer, in particular, is working. And therefore the excess food that we see in the market, the quality food that we see in the market, partially come from the information we provide,” the Professor said.

According to the NPP government, their government’s PFJ program is what has led to phenomenal bumper harvest.

President Akufo-Addo has often eulogized the Minister of Agric, Dr. Akoto Afriyie, as the Einstein who has been achieving bumper harvests for Ghana upon assuming the Agric Ministry portfolio in 2017.

However, as the Director of SRI of the CSRI points out, the bumper harvests have been driven by scientific research which had been ongoing long before NPP came to power.

“If you look at the Planting for Food and Jobs, they are using information that CSIR has generated. The soils that they are growing on; the fertilizer type they have to use; the grade of fertilizer they have to use; the type of varieties they have to use comes from CSIR and Soil Research is part of the CSIR. So when I say that, it is based on the grounds that whatever information they are using is coming from the CSIR,” Prof. Buri noted.

The soil research unit of the CSIR is dedicated to the research into soil resources of the country for effective management and agricultural application.