Seed Council seeks stronger seed certification, traceability

The National Seed Council has called for enhanced seed production, certification and traceability systems to bolster farmers' access to high-quality planting materials. This stance emerged during a regional tour conducted by the Council in the Upper West Region, where officials engaged with stakeholders including seed producers, dealers, inspectors and other agricultural actors.

The tour, which kicked off in Tamale and proceeded through the Savannah Region before reaching the Upper West Region, aimed to evaluate seed production, distribution and certification processes, as well as solicit feedback from stakeholders.

Eric Bentsil Quaye, Director of the Plant Protection and Regulatory Services Directorate (PPRSD) at the Ministry of Food and Agriculture (MoFA) and Member-Secretary of the Council, disclosed that four council members were selected to interact with stakeholders following its recent establishment under the seed, fertiliser and plant protection councils legislation.

The Council, comprising nine members drawn from public and private institutions, was sworn in to bolster the seed sector's development. Quaye emphasized that the regional tour was designed to assess seed production, distribution and certification capacities while seeking insights from the field level. The Council also examined infrastructure deficiencies, such as the need for modern seed processing plants and cold storage facilities, alongside financing constraints confronting private seed enterprises.

Quaye highlighted digitisation, including electronic seed tracking and authentication, as a potential avenue to fortify the sector. He underscored the Council's commitment to making climate-smart varieties accessible to farmers and streamlining the release and registration of new varieties. Efforts were also underway to expedite the multiplication of breeder seed into foundation and certified seed and promote newly released varieties among farmers.

The Ministry of Food and Agriculture, through the Feed Ghana Programme, was implementing initiatives such as support for irrigation and tomato production, alongside partnering research institutions to develop climate-resilient tomato varieties. Additionally, under a Japanese International Cooperation Agency (JICA) initiative, three seed facilities are slated to receive modern seed-conditioning equipment, with these facilities anticipated to be operational by 2027.

However, the Upper West Regional Director of Agriculture, Huudu Abu, pointed out inadequate transport for seed inspectors as a significant hurdle impeding seed certification in the region. Abu argued that inspectors needed to visit seed fields multiple times per producer, yet the regional inspection team lacked a dependable means of transportation to perform their duties efficiently.

He urged the Council to address this challenge, stressing that effective inspection was crucial for guaranteeing the production of high-quality seeds. Agronomist Christopher Yirkaare Akai, affiliated with the Savannah Agricultural Value Chain Development Project, elaborated on the project's contributions, which encompassed land development, extension services, and input provision for smallholder farmers cultivating maize, soybean, and rice.

Akai also noted the project's support for the Savannah Agricultural Research Institute in developing a soybean variety that secured approval at the National Variety and Release Committee level for consideration as release material.