Discussion on Benefits of Biotech Crops in Egypt

A workshop was organized by the Egypt Biotechnology Information Center (EBIC) at the International Agriculture Center in Egypt. Dr. Clive James, ISAAA Chair Emeritus, presented the global status of commercialized biotech crops in 2013. The workshop was held under the auspices of the Ministries of Agriculture and Environment and was attended by hundreds of academicians, researchers, students, policy makers, media, among others.

Also during the workshop, Dr. Hussein Mansour talked about food safety in Egypt and the importance of commercializing biotech crops to make food available for people. Dr. Mostafa Fouda covered the situation of biosafety law prepared by the Ministry of Environment. During his visit, Dr. James met with the Minister of Agriculture and Land Reclamation, Prof. Ayman Abu Hadid, where they discussed the impacts of biotech crops on Egypt agriculture and economy. The Minister said that the government would support the technology as long as it is safe and had economic benefits to the farmers. He expressed hope that biotech cotton will be commercialized in the near future.

For more information, visit http://www.e-bic.net/ or contact Dr. Naglaa Abdallah at nabdallah@e-bic.net