Page 1 Page 2 Page 3 Page 4 Page 5 Page 6 Page 7 Page 8 Page 9 Page 10 Page 11 Page 12 Page 13 Page 14 Page 15 Page 16 Page 17 Page 18 Page 19 Page 20 Page 21 Page 22 Page 23 Page 24 Page 25 Page 26 Page 27 Page 28 Page 29 Page 30 Page 31 Page 32 Page 33 Page 34 Page 35 Page 36 Page 37 Page 38 Page 39 Page 40 Page 41 Page 42 Page 43 Page 44JULY 2016 35 “There are lots of techniques that people would welcome if they understood a bit more about it,” she says. “We need to have a much wider debate to look at the techniques that are available and see how we can benefit.” Source: Euro- pean Parliament. STATUSGhana WHEN THE Minister of Food and Agriculture, Alhaji Mohammed Muniru, appeared before the Parliamentary Select Committee on Poverty Reduction, he called for an agricultural census to enable the country to make projections with regard to food production. He said the last agricultural census was conducted 37 years ago, adding that the data is no longer relevant or reliable. He said Ghana’s forest cover has dwindled and its arable land has declined. It’s important to conduct a census to determine how much forest cover has been lost, how much arable land exists and the current levels of soil fertility, he explained. According to Muniru, it’s also important to know how many crops were cultivated and the potential of new crops for cultivation. Reliable data is needed to support the growth and development of this sector in a sustainable way. The failure of parliament to pass the Plant Breeders Bill also came up. Ahmed Yakubu Alhassan, Deputy Minister of Food and Agriculture, stressed the importance of this bill. “If Ghana decides, for sentimental reasons, not to pass it, we will lose,” he said. “I know of an improved variety of maize from Ghana which is being used all over Africa, yet the country has not earned anything for it,” He explained that to ensure the country’s plant breeders earn money for the improved seeds they produce and that their products are patented, a bill needs to be passed. Source: Graphic Online. STATUSIndia THE INDIAN government is backtracking a policy, which capped royalty fees and prohibited a technology company from denying a license to local companies. On May 18, India’s Ministry of Agriculture put forth an order capping royalty fees payable to providers of genetically modified seed technology and barring them from denying a license to any local company. According to the notification, for any GM trait commercialized in India, the technology provider cannot charge a royalty fee that exceeds 10 per cent of the maximum sale price of the seeds, which is fixed by the government every year. The cap of 10 per cent would apply for the first five years. Following that, the royalty would decrease by 10 per cent each year. Additionally, the technology provider could not refuse a license to any eligible seed company. If delayed by more than a month, the license would be “deemed to have been obtained.” The order followed a dispute between Monsanto and the government over the royalty and price payable for GM cotton seeds. In March, the government cut the price of Bollgard II cotton seeds to $11.86 for a 450 gram seed packet. Previously the price ranged from $12.31 to $14.83. It also reduced royalty fees by 74 per cent. According to the notification, agreements between technology providers and seed companies would be based on principles of Fair, Reasonable and Non- Discriminatory (FRAND) licensing guidelines. Technology companies could not charge any royalties on GM traits that have lost their efficacy. They could not charge any upfront fees from domestic seed companies that paid these fees in the past. Fees would be limited to $37,071 for new licensing agreements; whereas, in the past, Monsanto charged an upfront fee of $74,142 for its Bt cotton technology. Less than a week after the May 18 order, the government withdrew it and placed it as a draft for public consultation for 90 days. “It [the original order] clearly indicates the intention of the government to disregard research and innovation and thereby not protect intellectual property in the sector,” said Shivendra Bajaj, executive director of the Association of Biotechnology Led Enterprises — Agriculture Focus Group. Source: Live Mint.