Ghana stands ready to implement Plant Variety Protection- Dep. A-G

The Deputy Attorney-General and Minister for Justice, Diana Asonaba Dapaah says the country stands ready to collaborate with African Regional Intellectual Property Organization (ARIPO) to allow breeders, farmers and other relevant stakeholders in the agric sector to use the Plant Variety Protection (PVP) system as an IP tool to support innovation in the sector for farmers and consumers in Ghana.

This she believes will have the potential to open avenues for economic development, particularly in the rural sector. She made these remarks at the opening of a three-day regional workshop on Plant Variety Protection in Accra.

The International Union for the Protection of New Varieties of Plants (UPOV) provides a framework for harmonizing PVP laws internationally. Countries that are members of UPOV adhere to its guidelines, which set minimum standards for plant variety protection.

Overall, plant variety protection plays a crucial role in fostering innovation in agriculture by ensuring that breeders can benefit from their efforts in developing new and improved plant varieties.

It strikes a balance between rewarding innovation and promoting broader access to plant genetic resources for further research and development.

There are 79 members of UPOV, covering 98 States, with the accession of Amenia in March this year. The UPOV Convention recognizes the intellectual property rights of breeders that develop new varieties. There are more than 160,000 new varieties protected in UPOV members.

According to the World Farmer’s Organization, more than 80% of farmers consider new plant varieties important to adapt to climate change. Farmers demand new varieties to respond to climate change while providing healthy and tasty food choices at affordable prices.70% percent of the food we eat is plant based.

The stakeholder’s forum provides participants with skills needed to advance the plant variety protection system.

It is under the theme: “Plant variety protection for sustainable agriculture development and food security in the context of climate change”.

According to the Deputy Attorney-General, Ghana by the enactment of the Plant Variety Protection Act, 2020 (Act 1050) established a legal framework to protect the rights of breeders of new varieties of plants and promote the breeding of new varieties by improving the quality, and quantity of products in agriculture, horticulture and forestry.

“The plant variety protection system allows farmers, growers, and breeders to have access to new varieties for planting. It also ensures that breeding institutions and individuals reap the rewards of their investment and breeding activities,” she said.

The Registrar-General of Ghana, Grace Ama Issahaque on her part noted “The Ghana Industrial Property Office (GHIPO), also known as the IP Office, is coordinating with the relevant stakeholders in Ghana to implement the legal framework for the protection of plant variety in the most appropriate ways for the benefit of society.

“I am really delighted to inform you that the office has received its first applications from two Ghanaian research institutions and the numbers are quite impressive. Therefore, this workshop is being organized in Ghana when the country has just began implementing its PVP system and we look forward to obtaining more knowledge and also share our experiences,” she noted.

An Agronomist and Chief Executive Officer of the Quarcoo Initiatives, Samuel Nii Quarcoo further said government can stem the food price hikes by the effective implementation of the plant variety protection.

“Where to put the money is in this plant variety protection so that new variety can be produced and marketed, and the citizens will pay less for the same thing we are producing,” he said.

The event was heavily patronised by the Director-General of ARIPO, Mr Bemanya Twebaze, The Vice – Secretary General of UPOV, Ms. Yolanda Huerta, President, Community Plant Variety Office, (CPVO) of the European Union, Mr Francesco Mattina and the Representative of USPTO (Senior Patent Attorney, Office of Policy and International Affairs,) Mr. Christian Hannon.

Also in attendance was the Secretary General, International Seed Federation (ISF) Mr. Micheal Keller among others.

By Richard Bright Addo