Plant Protection Professor advocates for GM food production, consumption in Ghana

Professor Ellias Nortaa Kunedeb Sowley

A professor in plant protection and Vice Chancellor of Dr Hilla Liman Technical University in Wa, Professor Ellias Nortaa Kunedeb Sowley, has called on Ghanaians to accept the production and consumption of Genetically Modified (GM) Foods in the country.

This he believed would not only help make the country's food security but also ensure that what was consumed was free of pesticides and other chemicals.

Professor Sowley, made the call when he delivered his inaugural lecture on Monday, August 29, 2022.

The lecture was on the theme "Pesticides use in agriculture: Benefits and Implications for Environment and Human health".

It was held at the Dr Andani Andan Council Chamber and brought together family, friends, students, staff and management as well as lecturers, traditional rulers and the media.

"Production of Genetically Modified Foods should be encouraged since they can be produced without pesticides," he said.

The lecture considered the benefits and effects of pesticides, especially hazardous ones on the environment and human health.

"Pesticides will remain to farmers so long as they are used appropriately," he stated

He stated that though many Ghanaians were against the production and consumption of GM Foods in Ghana, the foods were already consumed as most of the grains consumed in the country were imported from countries where GM Foods were being produced.

On the dangers of pesticides, Prof. Sowley explained that persons who were exposed to higher levels of pesticides were at a higher risk of getting cancers, especially leukaemia and lymphoma.

He also noted that pesticides were useful to farmers and the agricultural sector as a whole when used appropriately under strict adherence to manufacturer's instructions but become dangerous when the opposite occurs.

He called for the development of a comprehensive binding treaty to regulate the transportation and applications of hazardous pesticides.

The Dr Hilla Liman Technical University Vice Chancellor also advocated for legislation that would help manage the procedures involved in transporting plants from region to region or country to country.

He expressed gratitude to God, his family and friends as well as the University for Development Studies for grooming him to be who he was today.

The Vice Chancellor of the University of Development Studies(UDS) Professor Gabriel Ayum Teye and chairman of the lecture, urged Ghanaians to be careful about where and whom they buy their foodstuffs.

He also appealed to farmers to desist from engaging in unacceptable practices just to make more money at the expense of human life.