Media charged to advocate passage of Plant Breeders Bill to ensure food security

The Minister of Environment, Science, Technology and Innovation, Mahama Ayariga, has charged the media to lobby Parliament to pass the Plant Breeders Bill currently before Parliament into law. 

This he said will protect the rights of research scientists who have been working hard to ensure food security in the country. 

The Minister was speaking at a meeting with management and staff of the Crops Research Institute, CRI of the Centre for Scientific and Industrial Research at Fumesua as part of his familiarization tour of some institutions under his ministry. 

Mr. Ayariga noted that, the delay in passing the bill into law is having a negative impact on the activities of research scientists especially in the food crop sector of the economy. 

He observed that Parliament is dragging its feet on the passage of the bill because of lack of a clear understanding of the purpose and intent of the bill and its social importance.  

Parliament, he noted is also confusing the bill with the Genetically Modified Organism( GMO) which the nation is still debating on.

The Director of the CRI, Dr. Mrs. Stella Ennin said despite challenges facing the Institute, management and staff continue to double their efforts to ensure that adequate food is produced to meet national food requirements.  

The Minister accompanied the Director General of the CSIR, Dr Victor Agyemang inspected some of the ongoing research fields at the institute. 

Among them are Rice, Plantain and Banana, Aquaponics, and Yam Agronomy.

GBC