The Ministry of Food and Agriculture (MoFA) owes the National Seed Trade Association of Ghana (NASTAG) GH₵one hundred fifty million.
This covers seeds furnished withinside the 2021 planting season, below the Planting for Food and Jobs (PFJ) programme.
Frustrated via way of means of the development, NASTAG has petitioned the Chairman of the National Seed Council to interfere and make sure that they're paid.
In a letter addressed to Josiah Awombil, NSC chairman, NASTAG said that groups that furnished seeds for the yr 2021 have now no longer acquired any bills or intentions of charge.
While commending the Ministry for taking steps to pay different providers below PFJ, specifically fertilizer providers, NASTAG reminded MoFA that “fertilizer acts on desirable seeds to have the ability to persuade crop overall performance and consequently seed must by no means take a 2nd role withinside the order of priorities.”
The affiliation similarly knowledgeable the NSC that in view that approximately 95% of seed providers are locals, they've ability to effect the neighborhood economy.
NASTAG additionally lamented the diminishing impact those charge delays can have on their capacity you got seeds, for that reason impacting on their capacity to repay any loans their contributors would possibly have procured to live in commercial enterprise.
It warned that any similarly put off in bills will opposite any latest advances in seed area investments which the PFJ has facilitated.
PFJ offers a advertising channel for seed manufacturers. In 2018 much less than 45% of seed manufacturers participated withinside the Programme in comparison to over eighty% in 2021.
In a examine on funding opportunities, gaps and demanding situations, Lydia Nikoi, representative at Ag-Soft Links, in 2021 performed a census on seed manufacturers and groups in Ghana.
It worried the profiling of 280 seed manufacturers and groups the use of a real-time cell telecellsmartphone records series application.
In 2018, the survey indicates that the seed area hired a few 6,000 humans, however the parent has risen to greater than 7,000 humans in 2021, an growth of approximately 17% inside years.
It incorporates 1,336 everlasting staff, with 44�ing ladies and 5,713 transient staff, consisting of 58% ladies.
Overall, Lydia Nikoi stated 95% of all licensed seeds produced via way of means of seed manufacturers in Ghana are Open-pollinated sorts whilst Hybrid seed manufacturing represents 5% in 2018.
She stated in 2021, Open-pollinated sorts represented 79% of overall seeds manufacturing, whilst hybrid represented 21%.
According to her, licensed maize seeds produced, declined from 7,157.50 metric tonnes in 2018 to 5, 670.sixty five metric tonnes in 2021.
For rice, she said that licensed seeds produced additionally dropped from 5,307.eighty metric tonnes in 2018 to 5,060.01 metric tonnes in 2021.
Regarding sorghum, she referred to that licensed seeds produced dipped to 16.fifty three metric tonnes in 2021 from the 332.eighty metric tonnes in 2018.
She defined that during each 2018 and 2021, seed manufacturers keep to growth farmers’ uptake of progressed licensed seeds, via the availability of offerings like agricultural exhibitions, area demonstrations, and extension offerings.
She determined that during 2021, most effective 9% of the proprietors of seed manufacturers and groups are girls whilst 91% are adult males.
In 2018, Lydia Nikoi stated 94% of seed manufacturers/groups have been adult males in comparison to 6�adult males.
Educational degree of seed manufacturers are tertiary-55%, O'Level, SSS/SHS- 17%, Middle school/ JSS/JHS-17%, vocational schooling-4%, no formal education-3% and primary-3%.
Regarding form of commercial enterprise ownership, 75.6% are sole ownership, 11.34% are cooperatives, 9.62% are restricted groups, 3.09% are partnerships and 0.34% are owned via way of means of groups.
The examine determined that 67.24% of commercial enterprise proprietors perform the commercial enterprise as complete time whilst 32.07% perform on part-time basis.
Lydia Nikoi determined that a few 54% of the commercial enterprise had greater than six years' enjoy in seed manufacturing, in addition to advertising, as towards most effective 7% having much less than a yr's enjoy.
It turned into hooked up that 92% produced licensed seeds, 13% produced basis seeds whilst 19% are licensed seed distributors.
Challenges
According to Lydia Nikoi credit score centers crowned the demanding situations going through seed manufacturers with 22% in 2018 and 86% in 2021 alluding to it.
In 2018, she stated 41% of seed manufacturers mentioned merchandising as some other task. The parent rose to 49% in 2021.
While most effective in line with cent stated pricing and packaging have been demanding situations in 2018, she said that the parent rose drastically to 50% in 2021.
The representative opined that a few 18% noticed garage as a task in 2018, however the proportion but shot as much as 43% ultimate yr.
For funding as a task, she opined that the parent multiplied from 15% in 2018 to 24% in 2021.
Communication community
She averred that the task of conversation community rose to 24% ultimate yr from simply one in line with cent in 2018.
Lydia Nikoi determined that the task of restricted call for for seeds skilled an multiplied from simply one in line with cent in 2018 to 16% ultimate yr.
She referred to as for aid for ladies and the teens to enter seed manufacturing to growth the manufacturing and availability of licensed seeds, in particular hybrid seeds.
The Consultant driven for get entry to to credit score and funding into a few key regions of the seed sub-area pronouncing it must be of paramount hobby to authorities and economic establishments to inject capital into the seed commercial enterprise.
The regions she stated encompass infrastructure expansion, in particular processing and garage centers.
Gaps
There is the want to double efforts with interventions which could entice greater lady manufacturers into the area.
• Youth illustration withinside the seed area is abysmally low.
• Hybrid seed manufacturing represents much less than 10% of the licensed seeds produced.
• There are few seed manufacturers/groups have had schooling in seed conditioning and advertising.
• Low partnership – inspire manufacturers to open-up their commercial enterprise for collaboration a good way to foster commercial enterprise growth.
• Marketing and merchandising: Although seed manufacturers spend numerous sources selling the usage of licensed seeds, advertising stays one of the key demanding situations affecting their commercial enterprise. There is, consequently, a want to discover progressive approaches of selling use of licensed seeds.
• Commercial seed groups additionally engaged in advertising activities- There's additionally the want for seed groups to present room for the smaller stores to additionally discover approaches to do their personal advertising.
Opportunities
Access to finance/Investment: There is a want for seed groups/manufacturers to shape partnerships to draw the wanted funding, in particular withinside the processing and garage centers.
• There is a want to perceive progressive and cost-powerful approaches of selling the usage of seeds amongst smallholder farmers.
• Establish personal seed distribution outlets. • Most seed manufacturers have a few degree of enjoy which is a sign that with a bit aid they may be green and carry out well.
• The literacy degree of seed manufacturers is some other desirable factor we will leverage directly to introduce progressive methods to seed manufacturing to increase the area.
• The seed area is one of the avenues for activity creation, in particular seed advertising and merchandising.
• Foundation seeds for Hybrid maize manufacturing is an funding location really well worth thinking about in view that OPV is now broadly produced and there may be additionally multiplied call for for it.
• Currently maximum seed manufacturers method their seeds manually, with the approaching in of huge groups, seed manufacturers will should shift to the use of machines to stay competitive.