GHANA LAUNCHES NEW YAM STRATEGY

Ghana
has taken a major step ahead of
other yam-producing nations to
launch a strategy for the
development of the yam industry
from farm to market.
This is contained in a statement
signed by the International
Institute of Tropical Agriculture
(IITA)’s communication officer,
Mr Godwin Atser, and made
available to newsmen in Lagos
on Wednesday.
The statement said that the
global conference on yams was
held in Accra from Oct. 3 to Oct.
6.
Ghana’s Deputy Minister for Food
and Agriculture, Ahmed Alhassan
said that the national yam
strategy puts yam in spotlight to
help the country fight poverty.
Alhassan said that it would also
enhance food security and
improve the livelihoods and
income of farmers.
``The strategy envisions making
Ghana the leading source of
premium quality yam products
with global penetration and
contributing to an improved
Ghanaian economy and
livelihood.
``One of the objectives of the
strategy is to develop
commercially-driven research
and development as well as
capacity building in yam value
chain,’’ he said.
The statement said that
economic value of the yam
industry in Ghana had grown
quite rapidly in recent years.
It noted that its foreign
exchange earnings rose to the
third position among the non-
traditional export commodities in
the period of 2010 to 2012.
It said that the demand for yam
in both fresh and processed
forms was increasing in new
markets abroad and domestically.
IITA’s Director for Western Africa,
Dr Robert Asiedu commended
Ghana for taking the lead in
developing a strategy for the
tuber crop.
``We also encourage other
countries to emulate Ghana by
developing similar strategies that
give clear direction on how to
make the crop work for the poor
and improve their economies,’’
Asiedu said.