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A yam germplasm bank has been launched by the Caribbean Agricultural Research and Development Institute (CARDI), in collaboration with the Division of Food Security, Natural Resources, the Environment and Sustainable Development (DFSNRESD) and the Member of Parliament for Tobago East Ayanna Webster-Roy.

The bank was launched at the Goldsborough Demonstration and Training Centre in Goldsborough on March 18 and is the second planting of the Ghanaian yam and aims to improve the agriculture industry and reduce the national food import bill.

The initiative introduced five new varieties of yam from Ghana that will serve as a crucial resource for local farmers by providing high-quality planting material, enabling improved productivity within a seven- to eight-month growing period.