Maize Production In Ghana

2.2. Maize Production and its importance in the Ghana economy

The most cultivated crop in Ghana is maize. Maize is cultivated throughout the country. Since the introduction of maize in Ghana in around the 16th century, it is now the most widely consumed staple crop in the country (Addai, 2011). It is gown in all the regions in Ghana with the transition zone experiencing two harvesting season, thus the major season and the minor season. The major season occurs during the months from April-July because it is the month at which the zone experiences high rainfall which provide a favourable growing condition for maize production. The minor seasons also starts from the months from October to January in which the zone experience a low amount of rainfall.

It production is mostly grown on subsistent basis with few commercial farmers accounting for an average yield of about 1.9mt/ha (MoFA,2010). Although maize is produce in all the regions in Ghana, the leading regions includes those located in the Mid-Southern part of Ghana, that is Brong-Ahafo region, Eastern region and the Ashanti region, followed by regions located in the northern part of Ghana ( Northern region, Upper East and Upper West region). At the district level we have the Ejura-Sekyerdumasi, Techiman, Wenchi and the Afram Plains leading the production of maize in the country.

2.3. Important of maize production in the Ghana

Maize as the most important staple crop has many importance to the Ghanaian economy as well as the Ejura-Sekyeredumasi district. This importance includes

• Human and Animal Consumption

• Industrial

So storage has been define as a practice which is made up of storage structures, the produce storage state and treatment applied in order to reduce damage of the crop (Anthonio and Olayide, 1983: Njoku and Adepose, 2007). This is because every crop has its own storage structure and method, the state of storage and treatment. Because some other post-harvest practices such as drying has been described as storage, Ndiritu Wagura (2013) define grain storage as a post-harvest management practices which farmers adopt to reduce post-harvest loss using a post-harvest storage facility and this facility can range from traditional to modern storage