Ghana's new seed law to regulate farmers

The promulgation of the plant and fertiliser Act by Ghana's Parliament last year will regulate, monitor and ensure seed quality in the country’s agricultural sector, said a Director of the Agriculture Ministry.

“The rationale behind promulgation of the law is to stimulate competition among seed industry practitioners, engender price stabilisation and offer employment to Ghanaians.
“For seed to serve as an investment tool, its quality should be guaranteed and its cost accommodating,” he said.

Dr. Kwame Amezah, Director, Agriculture Extension, Ministry of Food and Agriculture, made this known in Accra at a first stakeholder workshop aimed at updating practitioners and interpreting the new law to help recorgnise the importance of the plant and fertiliser Act in agricultural development.

The three-day workshop jointly organised by Ministry of Food and Agriculture and ACDI/VOCA-ADVANCE was also aimed at gathering the input of key actors in the agricultural sector to provide input into development of a regulatory framework that will allow the law to become an efficient, secure vehicle to ensure appropriateness, availability and access to the genetic resources needed to develop the country’s agricultural sector.

The workshop was also targetted at bringing all relevant stakeholders in the seed, plant protection and fertiliser industries together to create awareness about the Act and its proper interpretation.

It was also to provide an opportunity for participants to make recommendations for the development of a regulatory framework to enhance the law.

The plant and Fertiliser Act 803 provides for the efficient conduct of plant protection to prevent the introduction and spread of pests and diseases, and to regulate the import and export of plants and planting materials.

The law will also provide regulation and monitoring of export, import and commercial transaction in seeds and related matters - and as well as control the regulation of fertilisers in the country.

Dr. Amezah said: “Seed is subject to a number of policy decisions, and a seed-law has the task of creating transparency in the operation of these policies and translating national responsibilities.

He indicated that a seed-law is of paramount importance when the global food situation is not only precarious but also uncertain.

Mr. Olaf Kula, Programme Manager, West Africa Regional Office, ACDI/VOCA, explained that agricultural industry transformation requires investment, technology, capital and management; adding that successful Investment requires that technology be appropriate, available and accessible.

He observed that since the introduction of Ghana’s approved varieties of maize-seed, the country has seen many changes affecting the lives of farmers in positive ways.

“The evolution of the seed industry, resulting in higher yields for farmers, has proceeded well; ensuring that all actors benefit from commercial transformation in the country’s agricultural sector.

“But technological innovation needs a framework to ensure that we benefit from new technologies and that we can access them before they, too, become obsolete,” Mr. Kula remarked.