New Tafo (/R), Nov 3, GNA - A Senior Research Officer with the Cocoa Research Institute of Ghana (CRIG), Dr Jimmy Takrama, has appealed to Ghanaian Tertiary Institutions to take advantage of the DNA or gene technology in order to help alleviate the people from the 'curse' of food shortages and degenerative health disorders.

Dr Takrama said Ghana stands to gain the area of food production if science students in the Universities and other Tertiary Institutions could be empowered to appreciate the importance of gene testing and thereby use it to develop legumes that are high yielding and nutritious but disease resistant to offset perennial food shortages.

Similarly, that same technology, he said, could help medical and para-medical students to identify the root causes of degenerative and cardio-vascular ailments now plaguing the nation so that appropriate antidotes could be found to limit mortality rates resulting from these diseases.

Dr Takrama who is also the Coordinator of the Kirkhouse Trust Laboratory in Ghana was speaking to the Ghana News Agency at Akyem Tafo about the benefits that the country could benefit from if more efforts is expended in that area.

He said through effective collaboration between research institutions and Universities, a sequencing of legumes and cereals which are the major source of protein food for a number of the people can be done to develop varieties which are high resistance to parasites and at the same time high yielding.

He said through such an effort, the agriculture sector shall experience a new momentum which will not only lead to increased acreage but will as well lessen the cost of production and increased the profit of farmers.

Dr Takrama said what is worrying is that almost all the Tertiary Institutions in the country do not have the capacity to deploy such a technology although the major sciences in the world have now turned molecular and as a result Ghana cannot afford to be left behind in that technology.

Compounding Ghana's problem he said, is the sheer cost involved in building a molecular laboratory which has served as a disincentive in enabling the nation to join in the gene testing revolution.

The CRIG Research Officer therefore urged tertiary educational institutions who are eager to take advantage of the system to avail themselves of the services of the Kirkhouse Mobile Laboratory services so as to equip their students with the relevant knowledge to enable them tackle national problems relating to agricultural production. He said although the public Universities have been benefiting from the services of the laboratory, those of the private Universities were yet to do so and promised the fullest assistance of CRIG and Kirkhouse Trust in providing their students with cutting-edge tuition that will enable them to meet national aspirations.

Dr. Takrama also challenged graduate students willing to major in DNA testing in agriculture science and bio-chemistry to contact his outfit for direction. 05 NOV. 05