- Ghana is starting a sunflower initiative to increase farmers’ ability to cultivate sunflowers on a big scale, with the goal of enhancing the socioeconomic growth of the nation. The crop may be utilized to meet dietary and nutritional demands, make biodiesel for energy production, and produce edible oil.
- The nation’s fish processing businesses export fish flakes in sunflower oil for $147 million a year. Tropical Agriculture and Marketing Consultancy Services (TRAGRIMACS), the University of Ghana’s Crop Science Department, and the Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology’s (KNUST) Chemistry Department are working together to carry out the effort. Issah Sulemana, the project’s chief executive, thinks that the nation has the scientific and technological ability to grow sunflower seeds and turn them into edible oil, biodiesel, and other beneficial goods.
- Using biodiesel for transportation can result in millions of dollars in carbon credits for the nation. By collaborating with the Ghana Investment Promotion Centre to include the project in its investment portfolio, it is anticipated that the project’s sustainability would be maintained.
- The two cooperating universities will be able to determine which sunflower seed variety is appropriate for domestic growing with sufficient funds for research in this area.
