The Ministry of Food and Agriculture (MoFA) has launched a National Horticultural Seed Roadmap aimed at addressing weaknesses in the supply of quality seeds and seedlings that continue to affect productivity and competitiveness across Ghana’s horticultural value chain.
The roadmap sets out strategic priorities for the next three to five years, with emphasis on expanding local seed production, improving farmer access and developing planting materials that are better suited to Ghana’s growing conditions.
The roadmap positions the seed industry as a critical part of horticultural development, rather than treating seed availability simply as a farm-input issue. Access to quality planting materials affects crop establishment, yields, production costs and the consistency of produce supplied to domestic and export markets.
Ghana’s existing seed system has faced challenges around production capacity, coordination, quality assurance and distribution. Research on vegetable seeds has also identified storage and repackaging practices at the retail level as potential sources of quality deterioration before seeds reach farmers.
The roadmap therefore prioritises “strengthening local seed production and enterprises”, alongside measures to improve farmers’ access to quality seeds and seedlings. It also seeks to support the development of varieties suited to local conditions and establish clearer responsibilities, timelines and financing arrangements for implementation.
Deputy Minister for Food and Agriculture, John Setor Dumelo, described the roadmap as an important step towards building a “stronger and more responsive seed system”, placing the focus on a more coordinated structure linking producers, researchers, regulators and farmers.
MoFA’s Plant Protection and Regulatory Services Directorate already oversees seed quality assurance through registration, field inspection, laboratory testing and certification, while its Seed Inspection Division operates the National Seed Testing Laboratory and regional laboratories.
The Netherlands Embassy, represented by Madam Inge Tenniglo, also committed support to the initiative, describing the roadmap as “laying the foundation for the future of Ghana’s horticulture sector.”
The roadmap sets out a framework for commercially viable local seed production, reliable distribution and wider farmer access to certified planting materials across the horticultural industry.
