The Savannah Agriculture Research Institute of the Council for Scientific and Industrial Research [CSIR – SARI] has introduced new varieties of the ‘Frafra’ potato crop to farmers in the Talensi and Nabdam districts of the Upper East Region of Ghana.
The Frafra potato is a common type of potato cultivated in Northern Ghana. Since 2018, the CSIR – SARI has worked to develop improved varieties of the crop to help farmers produce it in larger quantities due to its potential to help solve the problem of food insecurity in parts of the north.
Frafra potato
The Frafra potato is commonly called Pee’ha or Pee’sah in the Frafra and Kusasi areas of the Upper East Region. Its size is not like that of regular potatoes. They are just about the size of the fingers of an average adult human. Sometimes, they are also somewhat round and the size of marbles.
Traditionally, Frafra potatoes are consumed mainly as a snack, just like people would do with groundnuts, but they can keep a person quite satisfied for extended hours if consumed in large quantities.
