Two private-sector companies in Ghana have invested in the promotion of science and technology to support the plantain industry and farmers’ livelihoods. Kumad Global Impact LTD and Afarinick Company LTD have adopted the macropropagation technique to establish 100 acres of plantain nursery at Dadieso in the Suaman district of the Northwest region of Ghana. The entire area is covered with shade nets and propagation chambers.

This project started in December 2021 using sawdust as the planting medium for ex-plants. Moist heat generated by the sun in the propagation chambers forced the cells in the meristematic region to proliferate and produce seedlings. Within four months, 1.5 million plantain seedlings are ready for distribution to farmers in Ghana. These seedlings are for sale and the Ghana Cocoa Board has agreed to be a major distributor of the seedlings as part of their cocoa rehabilitation programme.

By Beloved Mensah Dzomeku (PhD), Plant Physiologist
CSIR-Crops Research Institute, Ghana