KOPIA Ghana’s New Chapter: Director Dr. Kim Inspects Promising Tomato Varieties
KOPIA Ghana has entered a new leadership phase with the appointment of Dr. Young Jin Kim as its Director. During his introductory visit to KOPIA’s operations in Ghana, Dr. Kim visited the Tomato Project sites at the CSIR-Crops Research Institute (CSIR-CRI) in Kumasi. The visit aimed to help him understand the current projects and initiatives related to the tomato value chain.
Consultation with Research Team
Dr. Kim held a meeting with Dr. Michael Kwabena Osei, a Principal Research Scientist and Tomato Breeder at CSIR-CRI, along with other team members. The meeting provided an update on KOPIA Tomato activities in Ghana, focusing on the development and promotion of improved tomato varieties. Dr. Osei highlighted the key attributes of these new varieties, which include:
– Early Maturity: Facilitating earlier harvesting for farmers.
– High Yields: Enhancing productivity and profitability for farmers.
– High Brix Value: Rendering the tomatoes suitable for both the fresh market and processing industries.
– Tolerance to Late and Early Blight Diseases: Improving crop resilience against prevalent tomato diseases.
Inspection of Tomato Project Sites
Dr. Kim was accompanied by Mr. Noah Lanyon, KOPIA Administrator, Mr. Abdullah, KOPIA Farm Manager, and a visiting scientist, Hyunju Jeong. On July 30, the team visited:
1. Breeder Seed Production Site at Kwadaso Station: To review the progress of breeder seed production for the CRI-Kwabena Kwabena and KOPIA tomato varieties.
2. Foundation Seed Production Fields at Berekum in the Bono East Region: To assess the status of foundation seed production for these varieties.
The visit was intended to showcase the progress of seed production for the CRI-Kwabena Kwabena and KOPIA tomato varieties. These varieties have been developed to address challenges posed by climate change, leveraging characteristics such as early maturity, high yields, and disease resistance.
Interaction with Farmers
During the tour of the project sites, Dr. Kim interacted with farmers involved in or interested in cultivating the new tomato varieties. Farmers expressed enthusiasm regarding the unique characteristics and benefits of the CRI-Kwabena Kwabena and KOPIA tomato varieties. However, they emphasised the necessity of timely seed availability to facilitate widespread cultivation of these varieties. Ensuring seed availability is deemed critical for promoting the adoption of these improved varieties among farmers.
Implications and Future Directions
Dr. Kim’s visit highlighted the potential of the CRI-Kwabena Kwabena and KOPIA tomato varieties to enhance farmers’ livelihoods by improving productivity and disease resilience. Feedback and suggestions obtained from farmers during the visit will inform future research and development initiatives by KOPIA Ghana.
KOPIA Ghana remains committed to supporting Ghana’s agricultural sector through innovative research, capacity building, and technology transfer under the leadership of Dr. Kim.
Contributors: Ms. Lynda G. S. Nsafoah, Dr. Michael Kwabena Osei, Enoch Bobie Agyemang
