Ghana to Host African Seed Companies That Produce 10,000 Metric Tonnes of Seeds Per Year  

Antika Farms Ghana Limited is one of the leading producers of seeds in Ghana

Accra, Ghana, November 23, 2018//-Despite the huge potential for private sector engagement, there are still very few local private seed producing companies in Africa.

For this reason Ghana will host a 2 day seed convening that brings together private seed companies from 11 countries in Africa, the Government, National Research Institutes, Donors, and CGIARS.

The seed companies have set themselves an ambitious target of producing 10,000 Metric tonnes of seeds each per year giving rise to what is dubbed the ‘10K Seed Club’.

  Seeds of improved varieties are important in raising yields and ensuring food security, proper nutrition and prosperity not only for smallholder farmers but also for the general population.

On average only about 20% of farmers in Africa use seeds of improved varieties, the challenge being that smallholder farmers who need seeds the most, to make more from their small pieces of land, have the least access to these seeds.

Over the last 12 years, the Alliance for a Green Revolution in Africa (AGRA), working with partners including governments, research centers and development partners, has made targeted investments in crop breeding, growing the number of indigenous seed companies from 10 in 2007 to 114 today.

These companies have released over 670 new crop varieties that are high yielding, adapted to local agro-ecological conditions and with better resistance to disease, pest and drought. The commercialization and multiplication of these varieties and their distribution to the farmers is mostly done by Africa SMEs.

DATE: 27th November 2018

TIME: 8am

VENUE: Labadi Beach Hotel, Accra, Ghana

WHO:  Dr. Owusu Afriyie Akoto, Minister of Food and Agriculture, Ghana; Dr. Joe DeVries, VP, Program Development & Innovation, AGRA;  Lord Paul Boateng, Board Chair Africa Enterprise Challenge Fund (AECF).

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