The Presidential Adviser on Agriculture and Agribusiness at the Office of the President, Hon. Dr. Peter Otukonor, has cautioned Ghanaians that selling uncertified seeds is a criminal offence that could attract jail terms or heavy fines.
Dr. Otukonor gave the warning in an interview with the media in Damongo on Monday, August 17, 2026, after a stakeholders’ engagement with farmers and players in the agric and agribusiness sector in the Savannah Region.
The engagement formed part of a nationwide sensitization exercise by the National Seed Council, and brought together Dr. Otukonor, who is a member of the Council; Mr. Francis Kwasi Adzalo, President of the Seed Producers Association; and Mr. Eric Bentsil Quaye, a Committee Member and Secretary to the National Seed Council, who also serves as National Director of the Plant Protection and Regulatory Services Directorate (PPRSD).
Speaking to journalists, Dr. Otukonor said many Ghanaians are unaware that the law prohibits the sale of seeds that have not been certified.
“It is a crime to sell uncertified seeds, and you may go to jail or be fined some penalty units if you are found culpable. And unfortunately a lot of people do not know this,” he said.
He explained that the National Seed Council is a statutory body mandated to regulate the seed sector, ensuring that farmers receive quality seeds at affordable prices and at the time they need them. He noted that the sector is broad, covering seed producers, seed breeders, and input dealers who interface directly with farmers, all of whom are required by law to be registered and regulated by the Council.
According to Dr. Otukonor, many farmers unknowingly fall victim to dealers who sell uncertified seeds, a situation he described as harmful to the growth of agriculture and the country’s food security goals.
He said the nationwide engagement is meant to assess the situation on the ground, citing challenges such as seed smuggling and the continued use of Open Pollinated Varieties (OPVs), which do not guarantee high yields.
“It is our intention for farmers to be more profitable and more productive and to yield more from the cultivation that they do,” he said, adding that the engagements are also an opportunity to hear directly from farmers about the challenges they face.
(Cue Audio of Dr Peter Otukonor on uncertified seeds)
The stakeholders’ engagement is part of a broader nationwide tour by the National Seed Council to sensitize farmers, seed producers, and input dealers on seed certification laws and to gather firsthand feedback ahead of policy interventions in the sector.
