The Minister of Environment, Science Technology and Innovation, Dr. Kwaku Afriyie has urged the Council for Scientific and Industrial Research (CSIR) to exploit its commercial potential.

Although the institutes under the Council have commercial departments, the Minister believes their capacities are yet to be fully realized.

He believes the CSIR, by its applied science set-up, was established with “commercial intent”.

“I don’t think you’ve exploited your potential. I want a real, functional commercial wing which can take all these ideas and see what can work and what will not,” Dr. Afriyie advocated.

Director-General of the CSIR, Prof. Victor Agyeman, would not agree less.

“We’re contributing to knowledge but for our own survival, we need to embark on a major commercialization drive,” he said.

They made these comments during an interaction with scientists at the Soil Research Institute.

The Institute had requested a gas chromatograph, a machine used to, among other things, measure pesticide residues in the soil.

While acknowledging their request, Dr. Afriyie also shared some income generating ideas with them.

The Institute took the Minister through technologies such as; control with grass intervention, Sawah technology, and integrated rice fish culture geared towards food sustainability in the country.