Silent march against Monsanto in Accra today

Wednesday 21st May, 2014

Accra, May 21, GNA - Food Sovereignty Ghana (FSG) and Coalition of Farmers against Genetically Modified Organisms, will organise a silent march in Accra, on Saturday, May 24 against the imposition of genetically modified foods (GMOs) on Ghanaians.

It is part of an international March against big agriculture companies such as Monsanto.

A statement issued by Jason Tutu, Member, Communications Department of FSG, said millions of people around the globe would participate in local demonstrations on the day to call for a permanent end to the use of GMOs and other harmful agrochemicals used by big agriculture companies.

The march dubbed the March against Monsanto, will attract protests in more than 400 cities in more than 52 countries on six different continents.

The statement said: The substances to be protested carry known health risks such as organ damage, sterility, infant mortality, birth defects, autoimmune conditions, allergies and increased risk of cancer.

The Accra March will start at 0900 hours at the Obra Spot at the Kwame Nkrumah Circle and proceed on the Nsawam Road and move towards the Mallam Atta Market.

There is a lot that is at stake here: our health as a people, our environment, our sovereignty, and our prosperity! It is unacceptable that even though an overwhelming number of Ghanaians who know what is going on are strongly opposed to it, but our political class and some agents of the multinational corporations are so keen on imposing it on Ghanaians.

It is about time we raised our voices. And we shall raise our voices with our placards. The march is going to be conducted in complete silence out of respect for the Ga Traditional Council ban on drumming and noise making. Our banners and placards will speak loud and clear!

This demonstration is very timely. Parliament is coming back from recess on the 28th of May. And just like the last one which had the Consideration of the Plant Breeders Bill, (PBB) as the first item on the agenda, they will again attempt to push it through. This is our way of telling them that we are vigilant.

We have good reasons to believe that this and other public manifestations that have taken place over the past one month will make it very difficult for parliament to pass the PBB, the statement said.