Nyankpala (N/R), Sept 26, GNA- About 60,000 hectares of land in the country have been cultivated with rice varieties developed or recommended by the Savanna Agricultural Research Institute (SARI). Dr Abdulai Salifu, Director of SARI announced this at the first "Open Day" of the Institute at Nyankpala, near Tamale.

The Day has the theme: "The impact of technologies developed by SARI on the economy of the North". It is to showcase the achievement of the Institute and the challenges ahead.

He said SARI has also released six varieties of sorghum, which have qualities for brewing malt and beer.

Dr Salifu said the Institute has also developed six varieties of millet, which are high yielding, resistant to downy mildew disease, tolerant to insect and drought and with high nutrient content.

Dr Salifu said SARI has released a variety of groundnuts, which could give a yield increase of 0.3 per hectare over the local varieties. He said other crops that SARI had developed and released were soyabeans, root and tuber crops, as well as cowpea, which Nestle Ghana Ltd was using in the preparation of baby foods such as "Bengla and valenga".

On tuber crops, he said SARI has also developed and released three varieties, the "Filidiakong", "Eskamaye" and "Nyerikobga", which have high levels of starch content and would be suitable for development under the President's Special Initiative on cassava.

Dr Salifu, said in spite of the Institute's achievements, it was saddled with problems of infrastructure, inadequate transportation, workshop machinery, accommodation for its staff and sustainable government funding.