UDS Professor Advocates Horticulture Institute in Ghana

A professor of horticulture at the University for Development Studies (UDS), Professor George Nyarko, has advocated the establishment of a horticulture institute to help in the development of the fruits and vegetables industry in Ghana.

Prof. Nyarko, who was delivering his first inaugural lecture last Friday, said the lack of an institute to facilitate work of horticultural practitioners was problematic, hence the need for its establishment.

"With an institute, we can research into these indigenous and foreign vegetables and develop them so that they can be very competitive.

“There is great potential for the export of tropical crop products. Ghana has entered into export trade since the government established the Ghana Export Promotion Centre to promote the export of non-traditional crops," he said.

Inaugural lecture

The inaugural lecture was the 9th since the establishment of the university and was attended by family members and friends, colleague lecturers, security personnel, farmers, politicians and the academia.

It was on the theme, "Indigenous and Traditional Horticultural Crops: Sustaining Livelihoods in Sub-Saharan Africa”.

Exotic crops

Prof. Nyarko, who showcased some of his research works and publications in the field of horticulture, also advocated the domestication of some of the exotic crops and fruits which were of high demand in the country.

He also called for the promotion of Indigenous and Traditional Horticulture Crops (ITHC) to create employment opportunities for people in the rural communities, especially women.

"It is possible to domesticate some of the exotic fruits and vegetables that Ghanaians are craving for by developing strategies to produce those seeds and crops in Ghana," he stated.

"Promoting ITHC in Ghana will surely generate employment for many rural communities in Ghana, especially women, which will help to reduce poverty in the country," he added.

The professor thanked the government for providing him scholarship for his secondary education and Ph.D. programme at the University of Nottingham, UK.

Commendation

The Vice-Chancellor of the UDS, Prof. Gabriel Ayum Teye, commended the professor for his selflessness and dedication to work at the university and appealed to other lecturers to emulate him.

He also pledged the support of the university to the development and promotion of research in Ghana.