If it is given bad publicity and is labelled as a gm product as some ghanaians and the press did for political expediency with the plant breeders bill, it will trigger negative. Replace plant breeders bill with a sui generis pvp. Parliament calls for reintroduction of plant breeders bill. The plant breeders bill, among other things, is to ensure a genetic diversity of food crops but has faced strong resistance from farmer groups, the. Plant species and varieties west africa seed catalog. The goal of the african plant breeding academy is to train practicing african plant breeders in the most advanced theory and technologies for plant breeding in support of critical decisions for crop improvement. Another area that has been under significant discussion is plant breeders rights protection, or plant variety p pvp.
Ghana can protect plant breeder rights without necessarily opting for upov 91. Food sovereignty ghana calls on parliament to completely withdraw the. This paper does not seek to take a position on bt or the bill, but to understand how policy actors. The parliamentary select committee on environment, science and technology has recommended to parliament to reintroduce and pass the plant breeders bill to. Food sovereignty ghana calls on parliament to completely withdraw the upovcompliant plant breeders bill and replace it with a sui generis plant variety protection pvp system suitable to our conditions. Pdf implications of plant breeder bill on breeding activities in. Download article as pdf the african plant breeders association apba was launched recently to bring together plant breeders from several african nations to work towards achieving food security in africa through breeding. Plant breeders have for sometime now been engaged in the development of improved crop varieties, usually using local varieties and landraces obtained from smallholder farmers. Grassroots antigmo movements in ghana, including the group food sovereignty ghana fsg, are vehemently protesting the plant breeders bill, a piece of legislation that if passed could make it very difficult for small farmers to retain control over their seeds. Plant breeders bill the plant breeders bill, which was put before parliament in 20, went through the first and second consideration stages. Pdf implications of plant breeder bill on breeding. The proposed plant breeders bill of ghana and the food. Unfortunately, the plant breeders right bill pbb of ghana is one of the bills that has suffered vicious attacks especially from civil society organizations csos. Even as citizens, our rights are subject to the laws of ghana, not independent of it.
The national parliament is due to return from its summer break and first thing on the agenda is the governments plant breeders bill. Pass plant breeders bill now parliament urged general. Biotechng bt cotton in ghana false claims and legal sleight of hand on bt cotton in ghana false claims and legal sleight of hand. There has been controversy with their use their since then. National campaign against upov plant breeders bill food. Domestically, the indian legislation which takes up the issue of plant breeders rights is the protection of plant varieties and farmers rights act, which was passed by the parliament in 2001 after a decade long process of drafting and redrafting due to the criticisms of peoples organizations, in particular those representing the. Local scientists recount loss in the absence of plant. We will investigate gmo agendaparliament news ghana. This week, farmers in ghana are on the frontlines of a battle. Prospective analysis find, read and cite all the research you.
We particularly demand responses to these fundamental objections to the plant breeders bill. They will be available for download in a format suitable for portable video players, and will also be available in a higher resolution on dvds. Whilst drawing the attention of critics of the plant breeders bill to the provisions of the biosafety act, the speaker said it was import that parliament considered the. The peasant farmers association of ghana pfag, has called on government and parliament to halt the passage of the plant breeders bill pbb and to ensure further consultations with farmers. However, as a requirement, ghana has developed a plant breeders rights bill, which is currently before its parliament awaiting passage. The proposed legislation contains rules that would restrict farmers from an ageold practice. Local scientists recount loss in the absence of plant breeders law local scientists recount loss in the absence of plant breeders law. The parliamentary select committee on environment, science and technology has recommended to parliament to reintroduce and pass the plant breeders bill to protect the intellectual rights of seed. Fsg considers this as a clear insult to the respectable organisations that have so far petitioned parliament over the plant breeders bill. Plant breeding capacity building in africa request pdf. The african plant breeders association apba was launched recently to bring together plant breeders from several african nations to work towards achieving food security in africa through breeding.
Publish report on consultations over plant breeder s bill. Agriculture ministerdesignate misinformed parliament on. The proposed plant breeders bill of ghana and the food sovereignty conundrum. The plant breeders bill is designed to impose genetically modified organisms into ghana s food chain, a move that could change our entire agricultural system. Namibia financial institutions supervisory authority bill 8. Passage of the ghana plant breeders bill will encourage investments for the development of superior varieties of staple crops urgently needed in farmers fields to spark a green revolution in. Implications of plant breeder bill on breeding activities in. Battling the monsanto law in ghana new internationalist. Prof richard tuyee awuah gives the keynote address at the official launch of aflasafe gh02.
Implications of plant breeder bill on breeding activities. Replace plant breeders bill with a sui generis pvp system. Farmers organizations, plant breeding and seed industry. Opportunities and threats to harmonisation of plant breeders. When completed, these videos will be available through the uwmadison plant breeding and plant genetics program website below. An act to provide for the grant and protection of plant breeder rights and for related matters. Plant breeders rights is one of the links in the plant variety development chain and an important tool for governments to support agricultural development and food security. Ghanaian queen mothers slums plant breeders bill news ghana. In 20, ghana passed the plant breeder bill, a sui generis system. Save ghanas sovereignty and our food supply news ghana.
The plant breeders bill makes a gift of ghana s land and agriculture to the agribusiness tncs. Activist groups including food sovereignty ghana, the coalition for farmers rights, advocacy against gmos, ghana catholic bishops conference, convention peoples party, and various individuals have argued against its introduction. Genetically modified food were introduced to ghana by the ghanaian government in 20. Plant breeders rights pbr, also known as plant variety rights pvr, are rights granted to the breeder of a new variety of plant that give the breeder exclusive control over the propagating material including seed, cuttings, divisions, tissue culture and harvested material cut flowers, fruit, foliage of a new variety for a number of years. Alliance for science pushes for passage of plant breeders. Plants breeders bill, which would allow bt application has generated polarised public debate adenle, 2014. This proposed provision creates the possibility of the regulator providing more space for smallholder farmer practices within the farmers privilege in south africa. There are three principal types of vegetation from south to north occurring in the coastal savanna, in the forest zone, and in the northern savanna zone. Opportunities and threats to harmonisation of plant. Apply for plant breeders rights south african government. Ghana is sleepwalking into selling our birth rights. Covering the objectives, scope, protection requirements, and examination provisions, the chapter compares the plant breeders rights system with the patent system and attempts to clarify specific puzzling issues.
The plant breeders act seeks to establish a legal framework to promote the breeding of new plant varieties and improve food production in ghana adenle, 2014. Food sovereignty ghana charges house speaker ghnewsnow on audio fsg interview with radio xyz on the need for further consultations on the plant breeders bill. Ghana trips over the trips agreement on plant breeders rights in. Peasant farmers have called on parliament to undertake proper consultation before passing the plant breeders bill in order to ensure that the interests of farmers are considered. We analyse media content on how bt is viewed in the context of ghana s parliamentary debate on the plant breeders bill and within the broader public policymaking literature. In concurrence with the frimpongboateng campaign for public education on gmo inclusion, food sovereignty ghana filled suit against the national biosafety authority board for its plans to proceed with the introduction of gm products on the local market. So far, the farmers and people of ghana have stopped passage of the plant breeders bill in parliament.
Food sovereignty demands parliaments report on plant. What you are not told pla t breeders ights is o e of the li ks i the pla t variety development chain and an important tool for. We find the inclusion of the plant breeders bill in these series a strange. With this law, the tncs can flood ghana with gmos and demand ghana pay the price they set. Specifically, they are asking the government to reintroduce the plant breeders bill, which is expected to help make the country more competitive in the seed industry and ensure food security.
Jan 31, 2017 owusuafriyie akoto the peasant farmers association of ghana pfag has expressed disappointment in the attempt by the ministerdesignate of agriculture and some vetting committee members to misinform ghanaians about the implication of the plant breeders bill. Parliament distorts opposition to plant breeders bill. Financial institutions and markets bill film bill 7. The business of plant breeding is the result of a study on demandled plant variety design for markets in africa, sharing the best practices from private and public sector breeding programmes worldwide that are applicable to improving tropical crops in africa. Food sovereignty ghana fsg has met with the parliamentary committee on constitutional, legal and parliamentary affairs over the plant breeders bill. We seriously need to do everything in our power to pressure parliament to drop the upovcompliant plant breeders bill currently under consideration. The african centre for biosafety noted, speaking firstly to the plant breeders rights bill, that the south african seed sector was worth r5. Plant breeding capacity building in africa nature climate. The queenmothers association in the brong ahafo has appealed against the passage of the plant breeders bill and the promotion of genetically modified organisms gmo in the country. Aug 07, 2019 wouldbe plant breeders often chose to pursue ms and phddegree programs in the usa or europe, and more than half of these did not return to africa to practice their profession once graduated.
Although ghana is not a signatory member of the international union for the protection of new varieties of plants convention upov convention, there is explicit evidence that the plant breeders rights pbr s bill under consideration in the ghanaian parliament contains provisions modelled on the upov act 1991 rather than the potentially. Plant breeders rights bill as introduced in the national assembly proposed section 76. Collaborating with faculty at makerere university in uganda, university of kwazulunatal in south africa, and kwame nkrumah university of science and technology in ghana and with funding from the bill and melinda gates foundation, our project team created a number of tools and resources to enhance delivery of the plant breeding in elearning in. Read on for a fascinating examination of aflatoxin in ghana and the different roles we can play across society in tackling it.
This includes the latest concepts in plant breeding, quantitative genetics, statistics and experimental design. Nov 06, 2017 plant breeders bill the plant breeders bill, which was put before parliament in 20, went through the first and second consideration stages but was put on hold at the third stage when a pressure. Impacts of geneticallymodified crops and seeds on farmers pdf. Despite adoption of bt in neighbouring burkina faso vitale, glick. A comprehensive overview of investments and human resource. This system is mainly concentrated in northern ghana, for crops such as maize, rice and cowpea. Public hearings were conducted on the on the plant breeders rights and plant improvement bills. Plant breeders bill the plant breeders bill, which was put before parliament in 20, went through the first and second consideration stages but was put on hold at the third stage when a pressure. It says passing the bill into law is crucial to ensuring food security and improving the lives of farmers.
Ghana stood to lose its voting rights because the country had not. Food sovereignty ghana fsg, has called on the speaker of parliament to order the publication of a report on the consultations that the selectcommittee on constitutional, legal, and parliamentary affairs undertook on the plant breeders bill pbb. Control of importation and exportation of d airy products and dairy products substitutes amendment bill 5. Jun 29, 2016 although ghana is not a signatory member of the international union for the protection of new varieties of plants convention upov convention, there is explicit evidence that the plant breeders rights pbr s bill under consideration in the ghanaian parliament contains provisions modelled on the upov act 1991 rather than the potentially.
Opportunities and threats to harmonisation of plant breeders rights in africa. The bill which seeks empower crop breeders to earn. Peasant farmers kick against plant breeders bill ghana. This paper discusses the most probable implications of the plant breeder bill on breeding activities in ghana.
African plant breeders association launched in ghana cgiar. Pro plant breeders right bill opinions have indicated that gmos and the bill are unrelated. Few years back, the two stars were said to be in a serious relationship, but jim told. Chapter 1 the origins of plant variety protection and upov fao. All of these objections apply equally to the aripo arusha pvp protocol, a treaty version of the exact same bill. I believe the new alliance can make an important contribution to tackling the underlying causes of poverty and hunger in africa, promoting growth in african agriculture through coordinated public. The plant breeders bill would give corporations such as monsanto rights above the laws of ghana. A comprehensive overview of investments and human resource capacity in african agricultural research nienke beintema and gertjan stads april 2017 research program on policies, institutions, and markets led by ifpri. The bill has not been enforced yet but several benefits for farmers, breeders and agriculture in the country have been predicted. We analyse media content on how bt is viewed in the context of ghanas parliamentary debate on the plant breeders bill and within the broader public policymaking literature. Plant breeders rights bill b11d2015 south african government.
Abstractthis paper examines the highly contested and ongoing biotechnology bt policymaking process in ghana. Consult table 1 of the plant breeders rights act, 1976 act 15 of 1976 to establish whether the kind of plant is declared if the kind of plant is not in the table, submit a request for declaration with a motivation in writing to the registrar for plant breeders rights. Economics and environment nepal, national farmers union canada see. Owusuafriyie akoto the peasant farmers association of ghana pfag has expressed disappointment in the attempt by the ministerdesignate of agriculture and some vetting committee members to misinform ghanaians about the implication of the plant breeders bill. Ghana trips over the trips agreement on plant breeders.
How ghana stands to gain from plant breeders bill how ghana stands to gain from plant breeders bill. Dr sagri bambangi, deputy minister of food and agriculture in ghana, urged the breeders to begin conversations on securing the food future of africa through plant breeding. Nollywood star actor, jim iyke has spoken about his much publicised relationship with actress, nadia buari. We would also like to see in the report, what justification, if any, lies behind the inclusion of clause 23 in the plant breeders bill which makes the rights of the plant breeder independent of the laws of ghana. The university of ghana determined to change this by establishing the west africa centre for crop improvement wacci in 2007, in partnership with. In 20, ghana drafted the plant breeders act, a sui generis. This bill pbr seeks to establish a legal system for protection of plant breeders rights in order to put in place a mechanism for rewarding plant breeders.
Civil society group alliance for science ghana is appealing to president akufoaddo to help ensure passage of the plant breeders right bill into law. Passed by parliament and assented to by the president. Dr sagri bambangi, deputy minister of food and agriculture in ghana, urged the breeders to begin conversations on securing the food future of. The bill would end ghana s full sovereignty and independence as a nation, enable biopiracy, and outlaw traditional farming practices. African plant breeders association launched in ghana avisa. Media release february 6, 2018 official opening of the. In the future it is expected that nsta will play that role, and it holds the potential to be a voice for a growing industry going. Jul 10, 2014 the plant breeders bill is all about gmos. Oct 20, 2014 this week, farmers in ghana are on the frontlines of a battle. Far from simply dealing with the rights of the plant breeder, the bill is designed to preempt the laws of ghana and prevent farmers from freely. Mar 30, 2016 food sovereignty ghana fsg, has called on the speaker of parliament to order the publication of a report on the consultations that the selectcommittee on constitutional, legal, and parliamentary affairs undertook on the plant breeders bill pbb. Plant breeders rights bill b112015 share this page. Pdf plant breeders rights what you are not told hillary m. The association said what even saddened it was that the ministerdesignate managed to convince the committee that food.
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