Peasant Farmers Association still against adoption of GMOs
The Peasant Farmers Association of Ghana (PFAG) has reiterated its commitment to resist the acceptance and implementation of Genetically Modified Organisms (GMOs) in the country since it would deprive the country of its food sovereignty.
Mr Abdul-Rahman Mohammed, the National President of PFAG said the association was not resisting the GMOs based on only its health-related issues but because of its tendency to also wipe away the country’s seeds.
“We want to make sure that we save our indigenous seeds that we inherited. We want to make sure that they are there, we use them…we will not go by GMOs and when something happens, we cannot trace our seeds.”
He was speaking to members of the association in preparation for its new project dubbed: “Stronger Smallholder Institution for Active Participation in Policy Decision and Sustainable Agriculture in Ghana project’, which is expected to run for two years, (2018 to 2020), in Accra.
The National President said they were proposing that the agro-ecology system of farming should be considered by government, rather than accepting and implementing the genetically modified crops.
According to him, pesticides are responsible for some of the diseases affecting humans, saying that, “We have to go to this dimension to use agro-ecology farming so that we can remove some of the burden that we are seeing today”.
Mr Abdul-Rahman said, the quest to achieve increased food production did not imply that the country should accept GMOs.
Mr Charles Kwowe Nyaaba, the Programmes Director of the association, said the focus of the association was not just to produce any kind of food for consumption but to cultivate and produce healthy food.
He said the country had enough food to feed Ghanaians, but the inability to transport the farm produce to the market was the problem and that was what government should addressed.
He urged organisations and individuals preaching for the adoption of genetically modified organisms to tell “Ghanaians the truth behind the mask”.
“We must encourage the production of local foods and reject GMOs, which was being forced on the country by external sources, with the help of some Ghanaians.”
He said the association would soon reveal some facts behind the conceited efforts of some organisations and individuals, who intend spreading and enforcing the use of GMOs in the country.
Source: GNA