CSIR demands for cotton regulator

Dr. Emmanuel Chamba, Principal Investigator at Savanna Agricultural Research Institute of the Council for Scientific and Industrial Research (CSIR – SARI) and project Coordinator of BT Cotton Research, has urged government to establish an effective body to regulate the cotton industry.

He said this will help to improve the country’s cotton production from a current 5,000 hectares to the over-10,000 that the country used to produce.

“Lack of effective law governing the cotton industry is collapsing the business due to the illegal cutting of cotton trees, which is affecting the majority of youths who are being driven home.”

Dr. Chamba said this when he led some Members of Parliament of the Select Committees on Food and Agriculture, the Environment and Trade to visit the BT Cotton field trial site at Nyankpala in the Northern Region.

The BT Cotton field trial is a project of CSIR – SARI, forming part of the general scientific research toward the introduction of Genetically Modified Organisms (GMOs) and biotechnology products in the country.

The visit facilitated by the Programme for Biosafety Systems, Ghana, an advocacy group on GMOs, was for participants to become acquainted with the state of cotton production so as to prevent government importing from neighboring countries as well as create strategies to revamp the industry to feed the local fabrics industry.

GMOs are formed when genes (hereditary materials) are moved artificially from one species to another, which is said to produce improved varieties.

Dr. Chamba said most of the textile companies, health centres, organisations and most households depend on cotton for their daily activities and therefore the need to sustain it.

Dr. Ahmed Yakubu Alhassan, Deputy Minister of Food and Agriculture (MOFA) in-charge of Crops, reiterated government’s commitment to revamping the cotton industry.

The deputy minister said the cotton industry contributes to the socio-economic needs of the country, since several industries depend on it for their production.

According to Dr. Alhassan, scientific evolution had come to stay and the country cannot afford to be left behind, hence the research into GMOs and biotechnology products to ensure the production of quality products to meet the global market.

He urged farmers to always liaise with scientists to upgrade themselves on new technologies to improve their agribusinesses.

This, he added, will enable them to harvest high yields for feeding their families, the nation and provide exports to generate revenue for other developmental projects.

Dr. Stephen Nutsugah, Director of CSIR – SARI, said the institution will continue to undertake research to come out with technologies and varieties that will help to improve agricultural productivity to ensure food security.