Ghanaian delegation in The Netherlands to seek support for plant breeders rights

The Attorney-General and Minister of Justice, Mrs Marietta Brew Appiah-Opong, is leading some members of the Constitutional, Legal and Parliamentary Affairs Committee of Parliament to The Netherlands to learn about that country’s success in the implementation of the Plant Breeders Rights which has boosted its agricultural sector.

In a meeting with the Dutch Minister of Justice and Security, Mr Ivo Opstelten, Mrs Appiah-Opong entreated the Dutch government to assist Ghana to establish its seed registry when the Plant Breeders Bill was passed into law.

Plant Breeders Bill

She said the purpose of the bill was to establish a legal framework to protect the rights of breeders of new varieties of plants or plant groupings and promote the breeding of new varieties of plants aimed at improving the quantity, quality and cost of food, fuel, fibre and raw materials for industry.
The bill, which is currently before Parliament, seeks to acknowledge the achievements of breeders of new varieties by making available to them exclusive rights on the basis of a set of uniform and clearly defined principles.
Mrs Appiah-Opong added that the bill would promote the growth of the seed industry and safeguard the legal right and interest of plant breeders.
Furthermore, it sought to regulate the production, offer for sale, sale, marketing and advertisement of new varieties.
She talked about the laws that had been passed in Ghana since 2008 and said key among them were the Electronic Communications Act, the Electronic Transfer Act, the Economic and Organised Crime Office (EOCO) Act and the Anti-Money Laundering and Terrorism Act.

Benefits

Mr Opstelten indicated how the implementation of the Plant Breeders Rights in The Netherlands had brought about more improved yields and made his country one of the leading exporters of vegetables and ornamentals.
He said Ghana’s adoption of the Plant Breeders Bill would tremendously improve its agricultural yield, while the intellectual rights of plant breeders in Ghana would be protected.

Cyber crime

Mr Opstelten urged Ghana to ratify the Budapest Convention on cyber crime, saying, “When ratified, there is a lot that Ghana can achieve in working with other countries in the fight against cyber crime.”