Peasant Farmers Association of Ghana (PFAG) and three other agro-based interest groups have welcomed government’s decision not to introduce Genetically Modified Organisms (GMO) in Ghana.
PFAG said in a statement that efforts to impose GMOs on Ghanaian farmers and consumers have come to an end following a pronouncement on January 14, 2020.
The Minister of Food and Agriculture, Dr Owusu Afriyie Akoto, indicated on that day that Ghanaian scientists were capable of using traditional breeding methods to produce high yielding varieties and disease-resistant plants and hence farmers will not need GMOs in the next 100 years.
PFAG, the apex farmer-based non-governmental organisation in Ghana with the mandate to advocate for pro-poor agriculture and trade policies and other issues that affects the livelihoods of smallholder farmers noted that 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, PFAG said.
Source:Fiilafmonline/JoyBus
