National Seed Council with stakeholders during the engagement in Tamale
The Council engaged the Northern Seed Growers Association, distributors, producers, research scientists, and farmers among others.
The engagement aimed to engage stakeholders directly on the prevailing challenges and untapped opportunities in the seed sector.
The Chairman of the National Seed Council, Alhaji Mumuni Abubakari, in his address, said quality seed is a time-sensitive commodity and that for farmers to succeed, the seed value chain must function like clockwork.
“The Council is evaluating the capacity of our local seed growers, assessing the efficiency of our distribution networks, and scrutinising our certification frameworks. In doing so, we safeguard national agricultural investments such as the Feed Ghana Programme,” he stated.
According to him, they are aware of the infrastructure deficits, including the need for modern seed processing and cold storage facilities, and the pressures of climate variability, adding that in the challenges lie real opportunities for the private sector to grow more resilient.
He noted that Agriculture cannot remain static while climate and soil profiles change, reason why research institutions have done exceptional work developing high-yielding, drought-tolerant and pest-resistant varieties, stressing that a new variety serves no purpose sitting in a laboratory or a breeder’s seed bank.
“The Council is streamlining the processes of the National Variety Release and Registration Committee, and building stronger pipelines to fast-track the multiplication of breeder seed into foundation seed, and ultimately into certified seed for the ordinary farmer. We are also exploring targeted policy interventions to stimulate faster adoption of newly released varieties, so that our farmers can cultivate the best genetics available and maximise productivity on every acre,” he disclosed.
The Chairman of the National Seed Council stated assured that the Agriculture Ministry will continue to back the seed sector with concrete action such as distribution of free fertiliser under the Feed Ghana Programme, support for climate-sensitive borehole irrigation, and strategic investment in the vegetable sub-sector, particularly tomato.
He revealed that the ministry is partnering with research institutions to develop tomato varieties that can ensure steady, year-round supply, working with Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA) to modernise seed conditioning facilities at Tamale, Bolgatanga and Wa, and strengthening seed traceability
infrastructure so that farmers can trace the source of every seed they purchase and use.
The President of Seed Producers Association, Francis Kwasi Adzalo, in an interview, urged all farmers to ensure that they patronise certified seeds to enable them avoid any pest and diseases as well as get good yields.
“There’s the need for our farmers nationwide to patronise certified seeds. Certified seed is not just any seed but a seed that has gone through all the processes devoid of any disease that can bring good yields to the farmers,” he stressed.
He cautioned farmers and the general public to desist from buying uncertified seeds.
“If a farmer decides not to patronise certified seeds for the sake of price, they may end up losing, because some of the seeds have low yields and the farm can easily be infested by pest and diseases. Some farmers buy seeds which are not certified, and that can be dangerous to our country,” he noted.
FROM Eric Kombat, Tamale