Queen Mothers against Plant Breeders Bill

Traditional women leaders in the Brong-Ahafo Region have backed their male counterparts call for Parliament to review or suspend the Plant Breeders’ Bill especially on issues concerning the Genetically Modified Organisms (GMOs).

According to them, GMOs could pose a lot of challenges especially for peasant farmers.

This is because every year, one has to buy seeds to plant while Genetically Modified Foods cannot be stored for a long period.

The Traditional Women leaders in the region made these known at a workshop organised by the Centre for Indigenous Knowledge and Organizational Development, CIKOD, for traditional women leaders in environmental management through improved hygiene and ecological sanitation held at Abesim in the Sunyani municipality.

According to them, there is the possibility of hike in prices of seeds which could result in shortage of seeds.

Again, they noted that the plant breeders’ bill does not give room for farmers to sue seed suppliers in the event that the seeds do not germinate.

A Resource Person from the CIKOD, Wilberforce Laate, noted that Parliament must consider the health implications of GMOs and how it would affect small holder farmers.

He said the issue of GMOs must go beyond politics and must be considered a national issue devoid of political affiliation. 

He touched on some general concerns about GMOs to include the fact that Ghana does not have a laboratory to produce Genetically Modified seeds, pesticides and herbicides and so would have to import the seeds every year from other countries for planting.

He noted further that GMOs are a system of corporate control of seed.

Local farmers in Ghana will no longer have control over the seed they will grow since they have to buy the seed every year from countries and agents of the multi – national companies who will operate in Ghana.

The workshop among others aimed to help Women leaders gain deeper understanding on the challenges of the eco-sanitation concept, strengthen them to contribute to the socio-economic development of their respective communities through the promotion of improved hygiene and sanitation practices and formulate concrete action plans for making Traditional Women Leaders visible in the activities of sanitation and hygiene in their communities.

GBC