The Forestry Research Institute of Ghana (FORIG) under the Council for Scientific and Industrial Research (CSIR) is hoping to commercialize high-value syrup from Prekese fruits for both the local and international markets. Small scale extraction plants will be set up in selected communities to process Tetrapleura tetraptera (Prekese), an indigenous tree species, which grows in the wild and on people’s farms. The initiative will help build entrepreneurial economies across Ghana and is expected to retain more than 5,000 employees in the country. Public Relations Officer of FORIG, Kester Mensah, tells Luv Biz Report there is high demand for the product on the market because of its rich medicinal values, adding the Institute hopes to build the capacity of rural enterprises producing Prekese syrup to raise income levels of the communities. “We are registering with the Registrar General’s Department and after that we’ll go to the Food and Drugs Board. When we are certified and we know that we’ve got the certificate, now we can come out commercially to produce large scale and start exporting”, he said. The prekese project was one of six projects in Ghana which won the 2010 SEED Awards by the United Nations Environmental Programme (UNEP). Funding partners are expected to support pilot processing plant set-up and the establishment of Prekese fruit plantations. The set-up of Prekese plantations will serve as carbon sink thus contributing to climate change mitigation. The use of spent pulp in the production of animal feed will avoid the indiscriminate dumping and burning of waste that would otherwise have caused environmental pollution. Mr. Mensah hopes the award recognition will propel local investors to be interested in research activities at the CSIR. Story by Kofi Adu Domfeh/Luv Fm/Ghana