Gov't should withdraw Plant Breeders Bill - CPP

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Kwame Dokyi 9 years ago

To sacrifice our health for the sake of plenty is irrational!! We can produce food in abundance with local seeds without breeding carcinogenic food.

To sacrifice our health for the sake of plenty is irrational!! We can produce food in abundance with local seeds without breeding carcinogenic food.
Mahmoud 9 years ago

The sycophant KB Ashanti is a disgrace. How can any reasonable human being in his right mind justify communist dictatorship and tyranny? Nkrumah did not have any excuse for doing what he did, except that he was preparing the ...
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The sycophant KB Ashanti is a disgrace. How can any reasonable human being in his right mind justify communist dictatorship and tyranny? Nkrumah did not have any excuse for doing what he did, except that he was preparing the ground with series of unprovoked actions to create a one party state and declare himself president for life.

Communist ideology doesn't have a place for opposition in the system. Have you ever heard of a communist democratic country with an opposition to check excesses of the government? Nkrumah chose communism as a means of keeping himself in power forever. He therefore imposed the Detention without Trial Act only to gag everybody, create a communist dictatorship and turn himself into a president for life. This is because, the communists don't share power.
Oh No 9 years ago

This is not the time to slumber. This is not the time to sleep on the job. We are looking at the very existence of the nation. So Mr President DON'T SELL OUT beautiful Ghana. Show to Ghanaians you TAKE your oath of offic ...
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This is not the time to slumber. This is not the time to sleep on the job. We are looking at the very existence of the nation. So Mr President DON'T SELL OUT beautiful Ghana. Show to Ghanaians you TAKE your oath of office seriously.
The mask 9 years ago

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Quaidoo 9 years ago

The problem is many of our so called Law markers have very limited knowledge of the subject. One idiot secretary in his office speeding up to go to meet his teenage girl friend in a hotel room; writs and it is signed. Stop ...
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The problem is many of our so called Law markers have very limited knowledge of the subject. One idiot secretary in his office speeding up to go to meet his teenage girl friend in a hotel room; writs and it is signed. Stop this your motherfucker bill immediately. Sons of bitches.
Kwaku Hillary 9 years ago

I really often wonder if Samia and her colleagues understand the subject matter on Plant Breeders Rights. PBB is the right of a Plant Breeder who invests his resources to develop crop varieties that otherwise do not exist, bu ...
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I really often wonder if Samia and her colleagues understand the subject matter on Plant Breeders Rights. PBB is the right of a Plant Breeder who invests his resources to develop crop varieties that otherwise do not exist, but have economy value to address the challenges that confront farmers. Why will a musician have exclusive right over his music, an artist over his paintings, an inventor over his inventions and not the Plant Breeder over his creations. The Plant Breeders Rights protects the plant Breeder and not necessarily the farmer. However, this does not prevent the country to pass laws to protect Farmers and Communities as International provision so provide. The Farmers Rights can be protected under provisions in the Convention of Biological Diversity/Nagoya protocol which Ghana has signed but yet to ratify and make it work, it can also be catered for under the International Treaty for Plant Genetic Resources for Food and Agriculture, ITPGRFA among other international agreements.
Secondly, Samia and Co always interpret clause 23, wrongly to suit their agenda, It is not true this provisions make the government have no say as to what the Plant Breeder does. Why do they also think these Plant Breeders are Multinational companies? These Breeders are our brothers and sisters in the Research Institutions (CSIR) and Universities. Moreover,the seed statistics in terms of production, sales and replacement rate (how often farmers buy seed),makes it even less attractive to these "dreamed" multinational Seed companies they talk about. Our seed industry is controlled by Ghanaians, Private seed companies solely owned by Ghanaians (about 10-15), Seed Producers Associations (about 2000 seed growers) who obtain seeds from Crops Research Institute, Savanna Agricultural Research Institutes, Universities (UG, KNUST). All these for years have been developed by dedicated scientists free of charge. These revenue resources have for years been dwindling, what then is the future of crop development? The PBB is to help address the challenges of making sure there is always improved varieties that address the current challenges faced by farmers and consumers at large. This is to be done by Ghanaian Scientists; Breeders/Seed scientists, Ghanaian Seed companies and not so called Multinationals. Again, to every law in intellectual property, there is what we call exceptions and limitations, which take the public interest into consideration. Under the current PBB, farmers have the right to save seeds of a protected crop variety and use it to replant his farms and NO ONE will prevent him from doing so. It is allowed.
Samia and Co always try to link this system to examples in America, please folks, USA Law use Patent protection for plant protection (not even all plant technologies anyway). The farmers there are multinational/ commercial farmers who farm as business, invest millions of dollars and need not rely on free seed. Our system is not like that. First, the PBB is not like a patent system. Secondly, our farmers are subsistence, who grow few acres and buy very little quantities of seed. If you do not know, NO Multinational company or even our local seed growers/producers will waste his time to sue a farmer for exchanging seeds with his neighbour. Do you know the cost of such litigation? Even those who litigate in patents like Apple and Samsung, always avoid that.
The true of the issue is that, Samia & Co do not understand the issues they are talking about properly.
If there is anything they want to advocate for, they should impress on government to allocate more resources for agricultural research which for years have not been so, usually donor funded and donor directed.
With the advent of climate change, you visit farmers (which Samia & Co) will never do and ask challenges they are facing using old crop materials. Folks these old materials fail, yield low, attack by all manner of diseases and pests, flood, drought etc. Our food security and sovereignty is rather at risk when we fail to encourage people to improve and develop new plant materials that address these challenges and that is what the PBB seeks to do.
Lastly, folks do not be deceived, PBB or Law is different from the Biosafety Act passed in 2011, which regulates the introduction and management of GMOs.
This Bill does not make provision of introduction of GMOs. The country has to decide if it wants to grow GMOs or not. The laws are there to regulate. We will talk on GMOs on another platform. Anyway, if you been taking soy products or corn products in cans not made in Ghana, you already been eating GMOs (hahaaa), It is never true the effects people claim it brings, all those are political, Ant-American People make those statements.

Hope we are educated. Love you folks, I am a brother and I think It is about time we tell these politicians we are educated and not dumb to take whatever they say hook-line and sinker. Good morning
Tetteh Johnny 9 years ago

Finally someone rational that doesn't need to curse, lie, or scream to make their point heard! Kudos to you Kwaku- thanks for giving these guys some real information about the bill and the very good reasons behind it.

We ...
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Finally someone rational that doesn't need to curse, lie, or scream to make their point heard! Kudos to you Kwaku- thanks for giving these guys some real information about the bill and the very good reasons behind it.

We can continue to save our old seed , call it our own (even though it came from South Africa 25 years ago), and just "get by" with low yields. Ooor... we can give plant breeders the incentive to develop varieties that will help our farmers to bring their work to the next level.

This is not biopiracy, because no one has any interest in "stealing" Obatanpa or Mamaba. All we're looking to do is protect and reward those that can produce a product that farmers are willing to pay for.

Kwaku- you have a brother in me. Hopefully our parliamentarians will ignore the noise from the powerless Samia and her European-backed Food Sovereignty goons, and pass this bill for the betterment of Ghanaian farmers.
THRUTHSAYER 9 years ago

tetteh, YOU ARE A LYING ASSHOLE,YOU CANNOT DECIEVE ANY OF US AND SO FUCKOFF.

tetteh, YOU ARE A LYING ASSHOLE,YOU CANNOT DECIEVE ANY OF US AND SO FUCKOFF.
Elijah 9 years ago

You have masterfully dodged the main sticking point: Clause 23. “Measures regulating commerce said: A plant breeder right shall be independent of any measure taken by the Republic to regulate within Ghana the production, c ...
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You have masterfully dodged the main sticking point: Clause 23. “Measures regulating commerce said: A plant breeder right shall be independent of any measure taken by the Republic to regulate within Ghana the production, certification and marketing of material of a variety or the importation or exportation of the material Why would it seek to make plant breeders independent of any measures taken to regulate the production, IMPORTATION or EXPORTATION of materials developed by plant breeders? Do those capitalised words give us a clue that some of the material is expected to come from outside Ghana's territory? Are there "local" Ghanaian plant breeders who carry out their breeding activities outside Ghana? If so they are not local are they? Please do not use semantics to try and insult our intelligence. Even if parts of your arguments are true, it is also true that parts of the wording in the bill have hidden motives. Our politicians, their allies in the Agric industry and whoever is pushing this bill forward must be staright with Ghanaians. Why do you thing Uganda, Ethiopia India and others have rejected those same machinations that were aimed at passing the same bills in their respective countries? Why was the US ambassador to Ghana trying to link USAID with the passing of the plant breeders bill? And if we have local plant breeders who have been doing so for free why do we have foreigners "educating farmers" on how to increase yields? Is it because our local plant breeders suddenly lack the know-how or the will, or is there a hidden agenda to get our largely uneducated farmers to back the bill by the back door? One thing is becoming clear: all proponents of this ill-thought through bill always seem to meander through the facts. Would it not be easier if you just told people the truth as it is?
Jomo Kenyata 9 years ago

Kwaku Hillary, Stop this nonsense, we know what this bill is all about. WE have seen enough neocolonialist mindsets in Ghana and Africa. Ghana as it stands now doesn't belong to Ghanaians. Enough is enough

Kwaku Hillary, Stop this nonsense, we know what this bill is all about. WE have seen enough neocolonialist mindsets in Ghana and Africa. Ghana as it stands now doesn't belong to Ghanaians. Enough is enough
THRUTHSAYER 9 years ago

Hei, Kwaku Hillary , in the first place you are not a brother. you have been already bought by the GMO companies.WE are not going to accept any gmo and so shut your lying mouth. you cannot outsmart any one of us.you little ...
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Hei, Kwaku Hillary , in the first place you are not a brother. you have been already bought by the GMO companies.WE are not going to accept any gmo and so shut your lying mouth. you cannot outsmart any one of us.you little thing.
Kwaku Ofori 9 years ago

I want to know NPP stand, can NPP come out and tell us their position.

Hmm Ghana, I believe CPP is our alternative now.

I want to know NPP stand, can NPP come out and tell us their position.

Hmm Ghana, I believe CPP is our alternative now.
Elijah 9 years ago

If this Bill is passed in its current form then ALL our parliamentarians, including the highly educated ones, must bow their heads in shame and know they have just given Ghana away into a new form of colonisation. If this bil ...
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If this Bill is passed in its current form then ALL our parliamentarians, including the highly educated ones, must bow their heads in shame and know they have just given Ghana away into a new form of colonisation. If this bill is passed it will truly confirm what many of us have suspected for a long time now that a cross section of our MPs and academics have been bought by the biotech giants. It is truly spectacular that the usual "loud mouths" in parliament are dead silent over this very important issue. As this article points out does it really make sense that plant breeders, the majority of whom are undoubtedly going to be foreign nationals, would not be subject to the laws of Ghana? And you expect Ghanaians to wilfully consume the foods that they produce? If this bill is passed in its current form ALL MPs would have lost any credibility they have left as lawmakers of our land. Please do not close your eyes to the obvious. Once this practice becomes common place you cannot reverse it. You cannot knowingly choose non-GMO foods for yourselves and your families. GMOs will become ubiquitous in our ecosystem. You will have blood on your hands because your actions will be killing people in their numbers, including your own wards. Has Ghana's parliament really gone nuts? Please throw this bill out before its too late otherwise never, ever say you were not warned. If a bill is being disguised as something else because of the widespread opposition it attracts and you vote for it you are deliberately and wilfully causing harm to your own people. Is that why they elected you to parliament? I hope the lawyers amongst us are taking notes. You must ensure you use the freedom of information act to gain access to the names of the MPs who vote for this bill. I can foresee mass prosecutions to bring those to justice when our children start dropping dead like poisoned pests when the true effects of GMO foods start to manifest in Ghana. Oh Ghana! Is this what you have been reduced to?
Concerned 9 years ago

The man on the street must understand this too. The CPP is the only party that puts the interest of future generations ahead of personal profit. Organic food will give us a competitive advantage and also reduce our health bi ...
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The man on the street must understand this too. The CPP is the only party that puts the interest of future generations ahead of personal profit. Organic food will give us a competitive advantage and also reduce our health bill without us even noticing. Cpp should do fund raising and create awareness not just on this issue but everything of national importance. We need an inspirational leader
kwaku Agyenkwah (Kennedy) 9 years ago

Intellectual property rights, patent rights protect the interest of anyone who invents, designs, innovates new products and processes. If the persons seeking protection from government truly believe in their product or proce ...
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Intellectual property rights, patent rights protect the interest of anyone who invents, designs, innovates new products and processes. If the persons seeking protection from government truly believe in their product or process, they should apply to the patents office for protection. The health and territorial integrity of cannot and must not be compromised.
Obrimpong Ba 9 years ago

Thank you Samia.
I can't believe my good old Npp is silent on this issue.

Thank you Samia.
I can't believe my good old Npp is silent on this issue.
OBRONI 9 years ago

the plant breeders bill is, potentially, a good legislative instrument to control undesired import and/or export of plants and products off plants in a country.
But in Ghana's case nothing more then wasted time, because once ...
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the plant breeders bill is, potentially, a good legislative instrument to control undesired import and/or export of plants and products off plants in a country.
But in Ghana's case nothing more then wasted time, because once implemented nobody checks, nobody will be brought to court and nobody will be penalised when breaking the law. (unless you step on somebodies toes) Oh Ghana
solomon 9 years ago

I wish people can give cpp a chance to rescue our country for once and ignore nation wreckers like npp/ndc

I wish people can give cpp a chance to rescue our country for once and ignore nation wreckers like npp/ndc
GHANA 9 years ago

Thank you CPP but you should have gone further to talk about the Bill's inherent danger of introducing GMO planting materials into the Ghanaian Agro culture and which will kill our fertile land, traditional crops and the peop ...
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Thank you CPP but you should have gone further to talk about the Bill's inherent danger of introducing GMO planting materials into the Ghanaian Agro culture and which will kill our fertile land, traditional crops and the people. What is our CSIR doing and or saying about these developments? What is our Agricultural Research Institute saying? What is the MOA saying? Our farmers are not involved in this Bill. I suggest, in support of the CPP's call, the Bill should be set aside for now.
James 210 9 years ago

Where does NPP stand on this, or do they just want power for its sake? If you have a plan and really care about Ghana and not our loot, come out and say something, Stand-up and be counted. We know NDC has sold out, so where d ...
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Where does NPP stand on this, or do they just want power for its sake? If you have a plan and really care about Ghana and not our loot, come out and say something, Stand-up and be counted. We know NDC has sold out, so where do you stand? greedy for only power?

Gov't should withdraw Plant Breeders Bill - CPP

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