Date Issued: Aug 21,2018
The Peasant Farmers Association of Ghana (PFAG), General Agricultural Workers Union (GAWU), Centre for Indigenous Knowledge and Organizational Development (CIKOD) and Centre for Development Research and Agro-Innovation (CEDRAI) and other CSOs are disappointed with the extent to which the largest agro-poisonous chemical and seed company, “Monsanto” has managed to brainwash some few Ghanaian elite to become their agents in promoting their products to the detriment of the old age farmer saved seeds.
While food sovereignty organizations advocate for healthy and cancer free food crops in Africa, these agents are using supposedly anticipated food security crisis to advocate for acceptance of ‘dirty seeds’ commonly referred to as Genetically Modified Seeds in the Ghanaian market. There are indications that, many of these interest groups are influenced by parochial and material interests as against the interest of the Ghanaian tax payer. Being very well resourced they have frantically and desperately embarked on an agenda of “divide and rule” among small holder farmers who hitherto have been united against the introduction of GMOs.
Majority of farmers have expressed worry that if government does not intervene speedily “Usain Bolt” to protect and preserve the local seeds against ‘seeds of death’ for its citizens, farmers will soon become seed dependents. They contend that, the proponents of GMOs have not been able to articulate their reasons clearly on why Ghana should accept GMOs with all its negative implications to the Ghanaian farmer apart from their claims of yield increase.
The group cautions Ghana not to follow the footsteps of Burkina Faso who rushed to accept GMOs BT cotton leading to the near collapse of their cotton industry and now have to go back for the conventional cotton. Ghana accepting of GMOs will have dire consequence on the Economic Partnership Agreement the country signed with EU since there is complete ban of GMOs in EU.
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