The Director of the Presidential Initiatives in Agriculture and Agribusiness (PIAA), Dr Peter Boamah Otokunor, has warned that the sale and use of uncertified seeds could undermine Ghana’s food security efforts and reduce agricultural productivity.
He said the government was strengthening regulation and traceability within the seed industry to ensure that farmers had access to quality, viable and affordable seeds at the right time.
Dr Otokunor made the remarks in Damongo in the Savannah Region on Monday, August 17, 2026, after a stakeholder engagement organised by the National Seed Council.
He identified the smuggling of uncertified seeds, circulation of low-yielding open-pollinated varieties (OPVs) and poor seed handling as major challenges threatening the sector.
“The seed sector is very significant in achieving food security,” he said, stressing the need for stronger regulation, monitoring and collaboration among stakeholders.
Dr Otokunor said recent field engagements had revealed the circulation of seeds that were inimical to Ghana’s food security objectives, making it necessary to improve systems for tracing and tracking certified seeds from producers to farmers.
“We need to restructure and redesign our systems of tracing and tracking the seeds that are certified for farmers to use,” he said.
Expired seeds
The PIAA Director also warned that even certified seeds could fail to deliver the expected results if they were poorly stored, transported or handled.
He said some hybrid seeds had expiration dates and could lose their viability when stored beyond the recommended period.
He cited a case in which a farmer complained that certified seed had failed to germinate, only for investigations to establish that the seed had expired.
He said the government and the National Seed Council were therefore working to strengthen systems for the storage, transportation and distribution of seeds to preserve their viability until they reached farmers.
Illegal seed sellers face prosecution
Dr Otokunor further cautioned persons who deal in uncertified seeds that they risked arrest and prosecution.
“If you sell any uncertified seed that is not approved by law, that is not certified, you can be arrested, prosecuted, jailed, or even fined,” he warned.
He urged farmers and input dealers to purchase and distribute only approved and certified seeds, while calling on stakeholders across the seed value chain to report illegal seed dealers.
He also raised concerns about the possible entry of uncertified genetically modified seeds through Ghana’s porous borders, stressing the need for stronger border controls, inspections and information-sharing among relevant agencies.
According to him, all actors in the seed value chain must serve as “gatekeepers” by identifying and reporting illegal or uncertified seeds.
Government input support
Dr Otokunor said the government had supplied farmers with seeds and fertiliser free of charge over the past two years, although procurement challenges had at times affected the timing of distribution.
He said improvements had been made in 2025 and 2026 to accelerate the delivery of agricultural inputs to farmers.
The nationwide stakeholder engagement, he said, was intended to identify challenges confronting seed producers, breeders, input dealers and farmers and develop practical measures to strengthen the sector.
He also urged farmers, particularly those using hybrid varieties, to avoid indiscriminately recycling seeds from previous harvests, which could lead to reduced productivity.
The engagement forms part of efforts by the National Seed Council to strengthen Ghana’s seed regulatory system and ensure that farmers receive quality planting materials capable of improving yields and supporting the country’s food security objectives.
Source: www.kumasimail.com
