DR. JOHN Alex Otoo, the Director of Crop Research Institute, has disclosed that the institute is losing scientists due to low morale and the poor conditions of service.

According to him, the institute lacks funds to undertake research activities and that has compelled the scientists, about 80 of them, to leave the institute.

He made the disclosure at the Council for Scientific and Industrial Research (CSIR) and Crop Research Institute's (CRI) annual in-house review and research planning at Fumesua.

The objective of the annual event is to bring together all stakeholders in the Agricultural sector to discuss the research programmes and their achievements and constraints so that, the programmes could be made more demand-driven to meet the needs of the institute's clients.

Prof. Dominic Fobih, Minister of Environment and Science, said at the last annual general meeting of CSIR Staff Association, it was reported that the institute had lost about 42 scientists as a result of poor conditions of service.

"It is commendable that in spite of these constraints, some CSIR and CRI scientists have remained steadfast and continue to develop and disseminate new products and technologies for their clients," he stressed.

According to the minister, the government is determined to promote science and technology in Ghana without which it cannot attain the middle-income status it is aspiring to reach by the year 2015.

Prof. Fobih stated that the establishment of the National Science and Technology Fund will enhance the funding of science and technology activities in the country, adding that the private sector, the ultimate beneficiary of the research findings, will be the major contributors to the fund.

The minister hinted that some money had been made available under the HIPC initiative, to provide alternative livelihood for some of the rural people whose activities are negatively impacting on the environment.

According to him, his ministry will soon organise a workshop on the contribution of science and technology to the national economy to enable researchers to have the opportunity to highlight the impact of their research activities on the national economy.

In a related development, the Agricultural Food and Science Journal has been launched to enable scientists to come out with their findings for the public to know what is happening in the institute.