Ghana’s commercial seed sector: New incentives or continued complacency?

Ghana’s seed sector has undergone some significant changes in the past few years, including the establishment of a new seed law and regulations, the appointment of a National Seed Council, and the emergence of a more diversified commercial seed sector. This paper begins by reviewing the principal elements in Ghana’s commercial seed sector. It then examines three factors that will be critical to the direction of seed sector development: the adequacy of public sector crop varieties, the nature of farmers’ seed demand, and the composition of the local seed industry. The paper then reviews six areas where policy decisions will be of particular importance in shaping the nation’s seed system development: variety release, seed quality control and certification, consumer protec-tion, access to breeder seed, the provision of information to farmers, and seed prices and subsidies. The paper concludes by emphasizing that despite the recent changes in policies, regulations and private investment, there remain a number of unanswered questions and a need for cogent policies if Ghana is to develop a viable com-mercial seed sector.