By Edward Acquah,
Accra, June 25, GNA – The Ministry of Food and Agriculture (MoFA) has tasked the newly inaugurated National Seed Council to expedite the processing and certification of locally produced seed varieties to support agricultural productivity and reduce Ghana’s dependence on imported seeds.
Mr John Dumelo, the Deputy Minister of Food and Agriculture, gave the directive on Wednesday when he inaugurated the eight-member Council at the Ministry in Accra and swore in the members.
The Council is chaired by Alhaji Abubakari Mumuni, a representative of the Minister of Food and Agriculture, and comprises Professor Maxwell Darko Asante, Director of the CSIR-Crops Research Institute, Dr Solomon Gyan Ansah, Director, Crop Services Directorate, MoFA, and Mr Eric Bentil Quaye, Director, Plant Protection and Regulatory Services, MoFA.
The other members are Mr Francis Kwasi Adzalo, a representative of the Seed Growers Association; Mr Ebenezer Kwabena Asante, a rep of the National Farmers Association, and Prof. Michael Yaw Osae, a rep of the Biotechnology and Nuclear Agricultural Research Institute.
The rest are Mr Peter Boamah Otukonor, Director of Presidential Initiatives in Agriculture and Agribusiness, and Madam Agnes Kusi, a nominee of the President.
Mr Dumelo said quality seeds remained a critical component of the agricultural value chain and called on the Council to play its role effectively in ensuring that improved seed varieties were made available to farmers.
“We are trying as much as possible to reduce the importation of seeds and to certify homegrown Ghanaian seeds, and that is where you come in specifically,” he said.
Mr Dumelo urged the Council to fast-track seed applications submitted by local seed producers to enable them to obtain the required certification and make their products available on the market.
“We would ask you to also expedite those seed applications that come so that it becomes easier for homegrown Ghanaian seed companies to be able to get the certification they need,” he stated.
The Deputy Minister noted that changing climatic conditions and emerging crop diseases required the development and deployment of improved seed varieties capable of withstanding drought and pests.
“As the world is changing, some seeds have to be modified to resist drought and diseases, and that is where you come in,” he said.
Mr Dumelo said government’s efforts to increase agricultural productivity through fertiliser distribution, establishment of farm service centres and other interventions would yield better results when complemented by the availability of quality seeds.
Responding on behalf of the Council, Alhaji Mumuni expressed appreciation to President John Dramani Mahama and the Ministry for the confidence reposed in the members.
He assured stakeholders of the Council’s commitment to delivering on its mandate.
“I can assure you that at the end of the day, we will live up to expectations,” he said.
The National Seed Council is a statutory body established under Ghana’s Plants and Fertilizer Act, 2010 (Act 803).
It is responsible for advising the Minister on seed policy, overseeing the regulation of the seed industry and ensuring the production, certification and distribution of quality seeds in the country.
The Council also promotes the development of the seed sector, safeguards seed quality standards and supports efforts to improve agricultural productivity and food security through access to certified planting materials.
GNA
Edited by Agnes Boye-Doe
Reporter: Edward Acquah