New Councils and Boards of Four Institutions Sworn-in

New Councils and Boards for four separate institutions under the Agricultural sector have been sworn in.

The four institutions are the Plant Protection and Regulatory Advisory Council, Cocoa Research Institute, the Veterinary Council of Ghana and the National Seed Council which are statutory councils and boards required by the agricultural sector to deliver on its mandate.

These boards are under the chairmanship of Prof. Kwame Afreh-Nuamah, Ebenezer Owusu, the President's nominee for the Cocoa Research Institute of Ghana's Management Board, Dr William Fenteng Danso, and Mr Josiah Wobil, for the National Seed Council.

The Minister for Food and Agriculture, Hon. Dr. Owusu Afriyie Akoto, charged the Council and Boards to work hard to achieve a significant growth to bring about a complete improvement in Ghana's agricultural sector.

Dr Akoto said the inauguration of the Plant Protection and Regulatory Advisory Council was crucial, particularly recounting Ghana's huge revenue losses since the European Union (EU) placed a ban on the importation of vegetables from Ghana for not meeting standards and procedures of the EU market.

He noted that the cocoa industry was a field where much was needed to sustain the economy. Adding ths the sector was currently plagued with several challenges, including low yields due to the use of unimproved seed and the current sweeping fall in world market prices, where Ghana was losing about one billion dollars.

The Agric Minister, acknowledged the National Seed Council as one critical to the accomplishment of the government's flagship policy 'Planting for Food and Jobs', which was greatly dependent on improved seeds;

Currently, Ghana faces the challenge of importing seed from Burkina Faso.

Source: ISD (Bagbara Tanko)

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