UE/R: SOCO PROJECT FACILITATORS URGED TO WORK HARD FOR THE SUCCESS OF THE PROJECT – DCE NABDAM
By – Prosper Adaakai
The National Seed Council has begun assessing seed production, distribution and certification activities across Ghana as part of efforts to strengthen the country’s food security and agricultural transformation.
The assessment formed part of a stakeholder engagement held in Bolgatanga by the Ministry of Food and Agriculture in partnership with the African Development Bank Group.
Chairman of the National Seed Council, Alhaji Mumuni Abubakari Abdemomi, said the engagement was aimed at interacting with seed growers, farmers, researchers, regulators and other stakeholders to identify challenges within the seed value chain.
He said the Council was particularly concerned about infiltration within the seed industry and the need to ensure the production and distribution of quality and certified seeds.
Alhaji Abubakari said the Council would establish a comprehensive database of seed growers across the regions.
The database, he explained, would capture the number of seed growers, their locations, the types of seeds they produce, the acreage under production and their sources of foundation seed.
He said the information would strengthen traceability and make it possible to identify the source of seeds in cases where quality problems are detected.
Alhaji Abubakari also said the Council would review existing seed-related laws, with some legislation potentially requiring amendment or repeal to better protect seed growers and strengthen regulation of the industry.
President of the Seed Producers Association of Ghana, Francis K. Ajalo, said the engagement had highlighted the absence of reliable data on seed producers as one of the major challenges confronting the association.
He said the association would begin registering its members to establish an accurate database.
Mr. Ajalo also called for measures to protect locally produced seeds from competition created by imported grains and seeds, saying imports were making it difficult for domestic producers to sell their output.
He said the association would engage government on policies to promote locally produced seeds.
The National Seed Council identified inadequate modern seed-processing and cold-storage infrastructure, climate variability and weak traceability systems as major challenges facing the sector.
The Council said it was exploring digital tools, including electronic seed tracking and authentication, to help curb the circulation of fake seeds.
It is also working to streamline the National Variety Release and Registration Committee to accelerate the multiplication of improved crop varieties from breeder seed to foundation and certified seed.
The National Seed Council has urged government agencies, researchers, private seed companies, producers and agro-dealers to strengthen collaboration to build a resilient seed sector and improve farmers’ access to quality, certified seeds
Source – gbcuraonline.com
