Deficiencies in maize production within the West Africa sub-region may soon be minimized as efforts are being made to address those deficiencies as a way of increasing crop yield.

In line with this objective, a five-day Integrated Pest Management (IPM) Training-of-Trainer workshop has been jointly organized by the Agribusiness and Trade Promotion (ATP) project and CropLife Africa Middle East, in Kumasi.

The workshop which was held from February 8 to 12, 2010, was aimed at building the capacity of the private sector to become a more effective maize value chain stakeholder. The workshop was run simultaneously in Ouagadougou, Burkina Faso as well. Similar workshops are taking place in Côte d'Ivoire from February 22 to 26, 2010, and in Mali from March 1 to 5, 2010.

These workshops are part of efforts by ATP and CropLife to address deficiencies in maize production. According to Mr. Frederick Brandford Boampong, Programmes Officer of CropLife Ghana, the workshops are intended to create greater awareness among farmers on the impact of poor soil fertility and pests, including storage pests.

He said ATP and CropLife recognize that maize farmers in West Africa typically follow low-input and low-output maize production systems, characterized by limited and/or inefficient use of fertilizers, high-yielding maize varieties and improved seed, and sub-optimal pest and disease control measures.

Mr. Copperfield Banini, the facilitator of the Kumasi workshop, called on participants to go back and impart the right knowledge to farmers to help them improve production. He said when not well handled, pesticides could pose serious health threats, especially impotence.

Mr. Banini, who is a senior scientist with the Plant Protection and Regulatory Services Division (PPRSD) of the Ministry of Food and Agriculture (MoFA), said the practice where farmers tasted the chemicals should be completely discouraged. "Some farmers go to the extent of tasting the chemicals to establish their potency before applying them on their farms. This is a serious issue that can result in serious health implications", said Mr Banini.

Participants expressed their satisfaction on the workshop and called on the organizers to give them more of such training programmes. "This workshop has actually equipped me with much knowledge. I have learnt a lot of new things which I will intend transfer unto framers to help them improve production", said Ms. Umu Haruna, a participant-trainer with the Ghana Agricultural Producers and Traders Organization (GAPTO) in Accra.

The Agribusiness and Trade Promotion (ATP) project is a regional initiative aimed at increasing the value and volume of intra-regional agricultural trade in key value chains including livestock, maize/cereals, and onion/shallot, currently covering six countries in West Africa: Benin, Burkina Faso, Côte d'Ivoire, Ghana, Mali and Togo.

CropLife Africa Middle East, a member of CropLife International, is a regional federation representing the plant science industry and a network of national associations in 30 countries in Africa and the Middle East. CropLife is committed to sustainable agriculture through innovative research and technology in the areas of crop protection, non-agricultural pest control, seeds, and plant biotechnology.