GOOD SEED, GOOD BUSINESS: BUILDING GHANA’S NEXT GENERATION OF SEED PRODUCERS
A bag of quality maize seed may be small, but behind it lies a chain of science, field discipline, regulation and business decisions that can determine the success of a farmer’s harvest.
That message was at the heart of a one-day training held on 7th September at the CSIR-Crops Research Institute (CSIR-CRI) in Kumasi, where seed producers, farmers and agricultural extension agents gathered to strengthen their skills in producing quality maize seed—and turning that production into a viable business.
Organised by the CSIR-CRI with support from the IITA Breeding for Tomorrow Project, the training, themed “Quality Maize Seed Production for Better Yields and Higher Profits,” brought together five specialists to cover the maize seed value chain from biology and field management to hybrid production, certification, traceability and enterprise development. The objective was clear: help ensure that improved maize varieties developed by researchers reach farmers as high-quality, reliable seed.
In his welcome address, the Director of CSIR-Crops Research Institute, Prof. Maxwell Darko Asante, emphasized the importance of seed production to food security and encouraged participants to take full advantage of the training and ensure to implement all the lessons they would learn in order to improve their seed production. He expressed gratitude to the Breeding for Tomorrow Project for sponsoring the training and called on the project coordinator, Dr. Meseka Sivestro, from IITA to keep supporting the maize breeding programme at the Institute.
From Maize Biology to Field Discipline
Opening the training, Dr. Manfred B. Ewool, a maize breeder, took participants back to the fundamentals of maize biology. He explained how the reproductive structure of Zea mays makes controlled pollination possible and why understanding the crop’s biology is essential for producing genetically pure seed. Seed producers were taken through the importance of field isolation, selecting suitable seed-production fields, removing volunteer plants, timely rogueing and maintaining strict field hygiene. Particular attention was given to detasseling, which must be carried out consistently on female plants throughout the flowering period to prevent unwanted pollination.
Dr. Ewool also addressed postharvest management, including seed drying, moisture control, storage and simple germination testing. At the centre of his presentation was the principle of genetic fidelity—ensuring that a variety remains true to type from one generation to the next.
“Quality seed production ends with a variety that is distinct, uniform and stable—and it starts with discipline in the field”, he stated. Using CSIR-CRI varieties such as CSIR-CRI Ɔwanwa and CSIR-Omankwa, he demonstrated how characteristics such as tassel and silk colour and grain type help maintain varietal identity and protect the value of quality seed.
Producing Hybrid Seed with Precision
Dr. Priscilla Francisco Ribeiro, the Ghana coordinator for the Breeding for Tomorrow project and lead maize breeder at the CSIR-CRI, then introduced participants to the science and practice of hybrid maize seed production. Hybrid varieties are produced by crossing genetically distinct parent lines to capture heterosis, or hybrid vigour, which can deliver higher and more uniform yields.
But producing hybrid seed requires precision. Dr. Ribeiro explained the roles of male and female parent lines, staggered planting to synchronise flowering, row arrangements, detasseling and the need for at least 400 metres of isolation to minimise unwanted pollen contamination. Participants also learned about single-cross, three-way and double-cross hybrids, as well as the field inspections and laboratory tests used to verify quality. Hybrid seed must meet a minimum purity standard of 95%.
The session also showcased CSIR-CRI’s portfolio of biofortified and climate-smart maize hybrids, including varieties with pro-vitamin A, drought and Striga tolerance, and resistance to maize streak virus. Among those presented were CRI-Paired, CRI-Ewool, CRI-Harvest Plus, M1227-12 (CRI AGG22), CRI Tenganbie and CRI Nkomo, with potential yields ranging from 6.1 to 7.5 tonnes per hectare. For participants, the showcase provided a direct link between breeding research and the seed businesses responsible for making improved varieties available to farmers.
Protecting Quality Through Certification
Representing the Ministry of Food and Agriculture’s Plant Protection and Regulatory Services Directorate (PPRSD), Madam Josephine Efua Fosuah of the Grains and Seed Inspection Division, Ashanti Region, explained how Ghana’s seed certification system protects farmers and maintains confidence in the seed market. She outlined the responsibilities of the inspection service, including registering seed producers and dealers, inspecting fields and storage facilities, sampling and testing seed, and enforcing national seed regulations.
Participants were taken through the certification process, from registration and verification of seed sources to field inspections, labelling, lot numbering and laboratory testing for purity, germination, moisture and seed health. The distinction between genetic contamination and mechanical contamination was also highlighted, reinforcing the importance of careful field management, equipment hygiene and proper handling throughout the seed-production process. Her message was captured in five principles: Purity, Performance, Protection, Process and Proof.
Digital Tools for a More Traceable Seed System
Joining virtually, Mr. Charles Appiah Nti of the PPRSD, introduced participants to the Seed Tracker system, demonstrating how digital tools can improve traceability by allowing seed lots to be followed from registered production fields through certification and distribution. For growers and regulators, better traceability can strengthen quality control. For farmers and buyers, it can provide greater confidence in the identity and quality of the seed they purchase.
Making Seed Production A Business
Dr. Emmanuel Asamoah Adjei, a seed scientist and a senior research scientist at the CSIR-CRI, urged participants to think of seed production not simply as farming, but as an enterprise requiring careful planning, cost control and market development.
“Do not confuse high sales volume with profitability. Know your true cost per kilogram before you decide your price”, he stated.He introduced a simple approach to estimating demand:
Target maize area × adoption rate × seed rate = estimated seed demand.
From there, growers can determine how much seed to produce based on expected saleable yield, rather than simply producing according to the land available. Participants also explored fixed and variable costs, break-even analysis, cash-flow planning and pricing. Dr. Asamoah Adjei stressed that demand should be developed before harvest through demonstration plots, farmer meetings and engagement with agro dealers. The lesson was straightforward: a seed enterprise can produce an excellent product and still fail if it does not understand its market or its costs.
From Training Room to Farmer’s Field
The day concluded with a practical field demonstration, where participants observed rogueing, detasseling and field inspection in action. The demonstration gave growers an opportunity to connect classroom lessons with the realities of seed production and to exchange experiences about the challenges of operating across Ghana’s different agro-ecological zones. The training ultimately reinforced a simple message: good genetics are only the beginning. For improved maize varieties to deliver better yields and nutritional benefits to farmers, they must be multiplied carefully, certified rigorously, traced effectively and marketed as viable products.
Ghana’s food security and the incomes of its maize farmers rest, in large part, on a resource most consumers never see: the small bag of certified seed a farmer plants at the start of each season. The 7 September training brought together the people who breed that seed, the regulators who certify it, and the growers who multiply and sell it — a reminder that closing the gap between what CSIR-CRI’s breeding programmes produce in the field and what reaches a smallholder’s farm depends as much on sound business practice and regulatory discipline as it does on genetics.
As CSIR-CRI and its partners continue to advance biofortified and climate-smart maize through the IITA Breeding for Tomorrow Project, building the capacity of skilled and business-minded seed growers will be essential. Because between a breeder’s research plot and a farmer’s field stands one critical link: a reliable seed system. And when that system works, good seed can become good business—and better harvests for Ghana’s farmers.
Authors: Bernard Sakyiamah, Priscilla Francisco Ribeiro, Enoch Bobie Agyemang, Dennis Gyasi Boakye
