Ghana’s Crops Research Institute of the Council for Scientific and Industrial Research (CSIR-CRI) is strengthening collaboration with stakeholders in the pepper value chain in the development of varieties for both local and international markets.

According to Senior Research Scientist and Vegetable Breeder at CRI, Dr. Michael Kwabena Osei, the move is meant to ensure that players in the sector utilized varieties released by the Institute: “In the past years that the CRI released pepper varieties, farmers were not involved in the process and even though the varieties were there, we saw that the patronage was not good. We are now doing demand-led-breeding. That involves the CRI mobilizing the stakeholders so that they will be part of the selection process of new varieties.”

According to Dr. Osei the Institute is presently undertaking participatory selection of about 28 different lines of pepper varieties, obtained from the World Vegetable Center.

Source: myjoyonline.com