Participants at the fourth National Seed Business and Networking Forum (Seedlink 2023) are calling for increased support to research institutes to produce seeds of improved varieties for farmers in the country.

They particularly want attention on the production of improved millet, sorghum, and groundnut seeds to engender a positive impact on crop yields of these commodities and overall agricultural productivity.

In a communique read out at the end of the forum, the participants also urged the Ministry of Food and Agriculture to invest in irrigation facilities at the Crop Research Institute and the Savannah Agricultural Research Institute, to enable these institutions to keep up with the production of climate-smart resilient seeds.

Seedlink 2023 was organized by the National Seed Trade Association of Ghana (NASTAG), National Seed Council, AGRA, Feed the Future Ghana Market Systems and Resilience, and PolicyLINK.

The theme of the two-day forum is; "Harnessing Resources, Cultivating Success and Fostering Synergy in the Seed Industry."

The forum seeks to deepen engagement among stakeholders within the seed industry. About 100 participants from key seed stakeholder institutions including the Ministry of Food and Agriculture, district assemblies, academia, development partners, and farmer associations participated in the forum.

Among the dignitaries present were Deputy Minister for Food and Agriculture Alhaji Mohammed Tufeiru, Kwasi Wih who is head of the Ghana Seed Inspection Division of Plant Protection and Regulatory Services Directorate (PPRSD), Kelvin Fath who is Deputy Office Director at USAID Ghana, Ghana country director of AGRA Dr Betty Annan, West Africa Regional Head of AGRA Lionel Kadja, President of NASTAG Dr Amos Azinu, and Dr Michael Osae who is director of the Biotechnology and Nuclear Agriculture Research Institute.

Participants acknowledged the need to address the limited knowledge among stakeholders regarding the Plant Variety Protection Act 2020, noting, that an enhanced understanding of the act will encourage informed decision-making and contribute to the overall effectiveness of the seed sector.

They said the act will promote the advantageous commercialisation of protected varieties, thereby stimulating innovation and fostering the development of a more robust and sustainable seed industry.

They, however, observed issues relating to commercialization are not explicitly captured in the act and called on relevant stakeholders to collaborate and develop guidelines to foster commercialization.

Participants called for increased resources to enhance the capacity to generate accurate data on the country’s seed sector to ensure informed decision-making.

They commended the Plant Protection and Regulatory Services Directorate for instituting measures to deal with counterfeit seeds through seed traceability systems.

Participants endorsed the need for a long-term plan for the sustained efficacy of seed traceability systems in Ghana.

The communique stressed the need to enhance locally produced seeds which should be made accessible to all farmers, particularly vulnerable groups and persons with disabilities.

They urged government to consider restricting the importation of hybrid seeds and strengthen the emphasis on locally adopted and resilient seed varieties.

Participants also noted that biotechnology can be a viable tool for crop improvement in Ghana and with the expected release of the pod borer-resistant cowpea in 2024, there is a need to take up the use of biotech to solve emerging crop productivity issues.