Commercial launch 'Campaign' in Ghana. Bio-pesticide research goes into use
9 May 2011
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RIU has previously reported the successful registration of the first bio-pesticides in Ghana. One of the products to be registered, trade name 'Campaign', is now on sale to farmers in Ghana.
Campaign contains Metarhizium anisopliae, an insect killing fungus, which, with RIU support, has been registered in Ghana for the control of mealy bug in papaya.
Campaign had a commercially launch at a field event near Accra, Ghana. The launch was attended by about 200 farmers and was well covered by the media, including TV and press.
Dr Henry Wainwright of The Real IPM Company said:
Photographs from Ghana Campaign, April 2011
9 May 2011
Tweet
RIU has previously reported the successful registration of the first bio-pesticides in Ghana. One of the products to be registered, trade name 'Campaign', is now on sale to farmers in Ghana.
Campaign contains Metarhizium anisopliae, an insect killing fungus, which, with RIU support, has been registered in Ghana for the control of mealy bug in papaya.
Campaign had a commercially launch at a field event near Accra, Ghana. The launch was attended by about 200 farmers and was well covered by the media, including TV and press.
Dr Henry Wainwright of The Real IPM Company said:
"This is an amazing journey from pure research to a commercial product available to African farmers. But it took 21 years.The Campaign launch happened on 7 April 2011.
In 1990 scientists from ICIPE, based in Nairobi, isolated this fungus from soil in the Democratic Republic of Congo. The researchers characterised the fungus and began identifying its insect-killing properties.
In 2009, the Real IPM Company met up with scientist from ICIPE to look at what research could be commercialised using mass production and application techniques. Concurrently DFID through their RNNRS programme was assisting the Ghanaian Government's Environmental Protection Agency develop capability in the registration of bio-pesticides.
In 2010 the process of registering Campaign began in Ghana with the RIU's assistance. This was a collaborative effort from the Environmental Protection Agency, the registration authority; the University of Ghana which undertook the field evaluation; Real IPM, that mass produced Campaign, and Wienco (Ghana) Ltd, the product distributors, that coordinated the commercial launch.
Seeing so many people at the launch it was great to think that Real IPM, and our partners, had played a key role in getting this bio-pesticide from research, into use. And the final part of the journey - the process of registration and efficacy trials - took only 12 months. This is very encouraging for the future of bio-pesticides in Ghana. It means more environmentally friendly, natural biological control agents should become more widely available to farmers which in turn could help to open up new markets."
Photographs from Ghana Campaign, April 2011
| Bio-pesticides registered in Ghana (02:07) |  |
