After this discussion, you can send your reporter to Tamale to see the stock of seeds that we've produced. Rice alone, we can count hundreds of tons—that's hundreds of thousands of rice seeds sitting there, and nobody's coming to ask for rice seeds.

That's Dr Francis Kusi, Director of the Savannah Agricultural Research Institute (SARI) of the Council for Scientific and Industrial Research (CSIR). He spoke on Joy FM's Super Morning Show on Thursday as part of JoyBusiness' Agric Business Month discussion on "The research powering Ghana's daily meals."

His message was blunt: Ghana's own scientists have developed better seeds than the imported ones, but farmers aren't buying them.

SARI has produced hundreds of tonnes of improved maize and rice seedlings. They're sitting in storage in Tamale. Meanwhile, Ghana keeps importing maize seeds from abroad.

"We have data to prove the quantum of maize seeds that are imported into the country; meanwhile, we've developed varieties that are better than what they bring into the country," Dr Kusi said.

The institute was mandated and supported by the government to develop locally adapted planting materials. The goal was to boost agricultural productivity and reduce reliance on imports. But the uptake has been low.

Dr Kusi said the situation is disheartening. He warned that the trend undermines national efforts to promote food security.

SARI is one of Ghana's leading agricultural research institutes. It focuses on crops suited to the savannah zones—maize, rice, sorghum, and cowpea. The institute has released several improved varieties over the years, including drought-tolerant maize and high-yielding rice.

But farmers still prefer imported seeds. Why? Dr Kusi didn't give a full answer on the show, but the pattern is familiar: trust in foreign brands, aggressive marketing by importers, and sometimes cheaper prices from subsidised foreign producers.

The result is a paradox. Ghana spends foreign exchange to import seeds that are arguably inferior to what its own scientists have already produced. And the locally developed seeds—paid for with taxpayer money—go to waste.

Dr Kusi called for greater awareness and confidence in local varieties. He urged farmers to give Ghanaian seeds a chance.

  • CSIR-SARI has hundreds of tonnes of improved rice seeds in storage, unsold.
  • Hundreds of thousands of rice seeds are sitting in Tamale.
  • Ghana imports maize seeds despite SARI producing better varieties.
  • SARI's seeds are developed specifically for Ghana's growing conditions.
  • The institute is government-mandated to produce locally adapted planting materials.