Farmers in Ghana should use agricultural biotechnology solutions to boost crop productivity and overcome environmental challenges, a leading expert told a meeting in Accra of the Open Forum on Agricultural Biotechnology (OFAB), GhanaWeb reports.

“Some critical challenges facing farmers including weeds, pests and diseases, spoilage due to over-ripening, inadequate irrigation and lack of mechanization can be addressed through effective application of biotechnology,” Professor Josephine Nketsia-Tabiri, Director of the Biotechnology and Nuclear Agriculture Research Institute (BNARI), told the session.

The forum gathered over 100 Ghanaian farmers with scientists and policymakers to discuss the recently passed Biosafety Law, which enables the application of biotechnology in Ghana’s food crop production after four years of consideration by Parliament. With Ghana’s recent approval, there are now 30 countries planting biotech crops worldwide.  Read more.