The Savanna Agricultural Research Institute (SARI) is one of the 13 research institutes that make up the Council for Scientific and Industrial Research (CSIR) – a quasi-government organization that operates under the ambit of the Ministry of Environment, Science, Technology and Innovation.
The Institute was originally known as the Nyankpala Agricultural Experiment Station (NAES).
In June 1994, it was upgraded to a full-fledged Institute and re-named Savanna Agricultural Researc
h Institute.
SARI, has proposed five Frafra potato varieties 2017, to the National Variety Release Registration Committee NVRRC.
The release, which is the brain child of the Manga Agricultural Research Station, weather station Bawku brings to fifteen the number of varieties released to NVRRC.
Five millet varieties in 2015, five varieties of cow pea in 2016 and five varieties of frafra potation 2017.
According to the leader of the fifteen scientist member research team, Dr Francis Kusi, an Entomologist, Frafra potato, known as Solenosttemon rotundifolius Poir, is a small berbaceous annaual crop with ascending succulent stem and branches.
The crop normally grows up to 20 -30 centimeters in height. It is a lesser known and under exploited species of food crop in Ghana, yet with high economic value.
The crop is popular in northern Ghana, especially in the Upper East and West Regions where it serves as a food security crop during the lean season when all available crops have been consumed.
Dr Kusi explained that production of the crop is limited to subsistence level, due to the absence of suitable improved technology to change the traditional production practices.
He emphasized that Frafra potato an underutilized crop species which is central to improving food security in the Upper East and Upper West Regions of Ghana.
Dr. Kusi, said the tubes are a delicacy for children, with high marketing potential, compared with its counterpart sweet potato.
According to Dr Kusi, research intervention since 1997, has generated some baseline data on the crop and its production constraint.
The major constraint, he said were identified as undersized tubers, rapid tuber deterioration during storage, lack of healthy and reliable planting materials, pest and diseases.
It was against this back drop that the need was felt to carry out the study with farmers, technology development and farm management extension is more robust when farmer’s needs and aspirations are considered in a participatory settings.
He added that the aim is therefore to increase the production by deploying elite varieties to farmers, collect and document the crop in areas identified as geographical gaps in collection, development of database of frafra potato germplasm, multiplication and evaluation of frafra potato varieties with farmers among others.
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