Group urges farmers in Ghana to reject genetically modified seeds
The Peasant Farmers Association of Ghana (PFAG) has urged farmers to reject the planting of Genetically Modified Organisms (GMOs) seeds imported into the Ghanaian market on their farmlands.
According to the Association, Genetically Modified Organisms were alien to indigenous culture and injurious to health, hence not the solution to problems bedeviling Ghana’s Agriculture.
President of the Peasant Farmers Association of Ghana, Mr Wepia Addo Awal Adugwala gave the advice to farmers in the Forest Zone Agroecology Movement at a Stakeholder Dialogue and Community Engagement on Agroecology and Food Sovereignty at Ohiamaadwen in the Shama District of the Western Region.
Dubbed, “Reject the GMO Pod Border-Resistant (PBR) Cowpea”, the stakeholder engagement reminded farmers that it was an imperfect science without the full knowledge of its impact which would utterly contaminate organic and natural varieties through cross pollination and make them sterile.
The stakeholder engagement aimed at awareness creation and knowledge sharing on GMOs, updates of activities from members of the Ghana Agroecology Movement as well as strengthening the Movement.
According to Mr Awal Adugwala, the court had ordered the National Bio-Safety Authority to undertake a nationwide education and labeling of GMO products for farmers to identify GMO seeds and non-GMO ones for them to make a choice, adding that PFAG had taken the lead to educate its farmers to buy only improved varieties and traditional seeds.
The PFAG President said GMOs were not the panacea to problems bedeviling the Agricultural sector and asked the government to address challenges such as irrigation, mechanization, power tillers, good roads and access to farmlands.
Mr Awal Adugwala urged the Ministry of Food and Agriculture (MoFA) to desist from adding GMOs to the Planting for Food and Jobs phase two project.
The Shama District Director of Agriculture, Mr Abass Muhammed lauded the PFAG for the crusade against Genetically Modified Organisms, adding that only few people knew about GMOs in Ghana. and that Farmer-Based Organizations would champion livestock and crop development in a traditional and sustainable way.
Mr Muhammed said under the phase two of the Planting for Food and Jobs flagship programme, more than 500,000 farmers had been registered with the first 200,000 to get two bags of NPK fertilizers and one bag of urea fertilizer each.
He said the phase two of planting for food and jobs programme, spans five years and assured farmers of the Ministry’s commitment to respond to the needs of farmers through Electronic Agriculture.
Executive Director of Goshen Global Vision (GGV), Madam Mary Perpetua Kwakwuyi, said her outfit had intensified education to ensure that farmers under her did not use inorganic manure and fertilizers for planting.
She said her sensitization and awareness creation with significant interventions had taken her to schools and Districts such as Ellembelle, Nzema-East, Jomoro and Takoradi.
She said most of the second cycle schools were no longer learning Agriculture, hence the need to introduce Agricultural practices in the schools and reminded the farmers that in the past only organic food crops were planted to produce healthy food crops which were not inimical to human health.
Executive Director of the PFAG Mr Bismark Nortey, said the Association would champion awareness creation on GMOs and why farmers must not plant such seeds, adding that Agroecology practices in farming was the way to go if Ghana wanted to safeguard the health of the people.
Mr Nortey assured farmers of their readiness to supply them with traditional seedlings for planting and visit their farms to teach them Agroecology practices.
Chief of Ohiamaadwen, Nana Affo Kweku II, appealed to farmers to unite and speak with one voice for the government to meet their demands.
He said though inorganic fertilizers led to bumper harvest; the health implications of such food crops were severe.
Nana Kweku II asked PFAG to establish farming inputs stores and warehouses in each District to supply farmers with organic seedlings for planting to do away with GMOs.
Source: GNA