PFAG commends government for rejecting GMOs

The Peasant Farmers Association of Ghana (PFAG) has commended the government for not accepting Genetically Modified Organisms (GMOs) in the country.

Their commendation comes after the Minister for Agriculture, Dr Owusu Afriyie Akoto said on Tuesday that Ghana has scientists who could use traditional methods to produce high yielding varieties and disease-resistant plants for farming hence no need for GMOs.

The PFAG in a statement said: “The efforts to impose Genetically Modified Organisms (GMO) on Ghanaian farmers and consumers came to an end on 14th January 2020 when Ghana government through the Minister of Food and Agriculture (Dr Owusu Afriyie Akoto) indicated that, the nation has capable scientists who could use traditional breeding methods to produce high yielding varieties and disease-resistant plants for cultivation by farmers and no need for GMOs in the next 100 years in Ghana.”

It added: “The Ghana seed sector is plagued with numerous constraints ranging from poor resources for research institutions, such as Savannah Agricultural Research Institute (SARI) and academic institutions of learning to provide foundation seeds; limited irrigation facilities; poor transportation; storage facilities and difficulty in access to credit to support seed production and distribution”.

“The Peasant Farmers Association of Ghana, General Agricultural Workers Union (GAWU), Food Sovereignty Ghana (FSG) and Centre for Indigenous Knowledge & Organizational Development (CIKOD) who have been championing the GMO campaign for years welcome the government position and call on all institutions, individuals and multi-national corporation who are benefiting from proceeds from MONSANTO to promote GMO in Ghana to rather join Ghanaian scientists and farmers to promote the local seed industry”.

The group further encouraged government to invest more resources in agroecology as a way of developing the agricultural sector and combating climate change.

“The earlier stance of the group against multi-national seed companies and their Ghanaian pro-GMO agents to control seed production and rip the patent right of a single seed purchased by farmers must be commended. Accepting GMOs in Ghana would have been contrary to the President’s vision of developing Ghana Beyond Aid and further impoverish smallholder farmers who would have bought expensive seeds every year”.