The Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of the Asian African Consortium (AAC), Mrs. Adelaide Araba Agyepong, has indicated the need for collaboration between academia and industry to find solutions to the deficit which exist in the rice production value chain in the country.
Adelaide Araba Agyepong explains that well-thought-through research will redefine the growth of the industry and spur innovations amongst the youth who work in the agricultural sector.
She made these comments at the signing of an MoU between the Asian African Consortium a subsidiary of the Jospong Group of Companies and the University of Cape Coast in Accra.
According to her “the MoU is premised on deepened research and development for the rice industry.”
“Today’s collaboration has given us hope, and we know that the rice production will not only be the burden of Jospong Group of Companies,” she added.
“With the collaborations of the universities, we will be able to make strides and this has become necessary because we want to do ‘smart farming’ to make the industry appealing to the youth to erase the negative notion some of them may have towards agriculture,” she explained.
“We are bringing onboard sophisticated machines which offer more jobs to the youth and grow the economy,” she noted.
On his part, the Vice Chancellor of the University of Cape Coast, Prof. Johnson Nyarko Boampong assured of UCC’s commitment to research and development to help grow the rice industry.
“UCC will be undertaking research work that will include finding suitable seeds that will be able to withstand drought and offer high yields. We will equally advance soil studies for the production of rice,” He said.