Seed law to be out soon - Suglo

Accra, June 15, GNA - Mr. Vepser Suglo, Director of the Plant Protection and Regulatory Services Division of the Ministry of Food and Agriculture on Wednesday said the Seed Certification and Inspection Decree, NRC Decree 100 of 1992, approved by Cabinet was before the Attorney General's Department for approval.

He said the law, which has been reviewed and restructured to include biotechnology and genetically modified crops, when passed would make the division more efficient and to it move along with the international world on science and technology.

Speaking to the Ghana News Agency in an interview after a lecture on "Communicating biotechnology to non-scientists: Lessons Learned" for scientists, agriculture and food regulatory officers, environmentalists and the media, Mr Suglo noted that the world was advancing in science and technology and that needed to be reflected in the laws regulating the institutions.

He said the laws in Ghana was not in conformity with that of the International laws and there was the need for Ghana do the necessary changes to be abreast with them.

The lecture was organised by the Programme for Biosafety Systems (PBS), a global initiative for supporting the taking of science-based decisions on general genetically engineered products in collaboration with Forum for Agricultural Research in Africa (FARA). It was also the start of series of awareness creating and capacity building activities for implementing biosafety regulations in the country.