Swaziland Parliament Commits to Enact Enabling Biosafety Legislations for GMOs

Swaziland Parliament is working hard in ensuring enactment of biosafety legislation that enables cultivation of GM cotton. This was said by Dr. Titus Thwala, the Chair of the agricultural parliamentary committee during a tour of the GM cotton field trials located at Swaziland Cotton Board fields in Big Bend on February 23, 2017. 

"As the parliament, we are going to make sure we work together with stakeholders to enact legislation that will make it possible for GMOs to work well in the country," Thwala said. The tour, whose aim was to assess the performance of the GM cotton, included MPs from the Ministry of Tourism and Environmental Affairs led by the Chair, Mr. Veli Shongwe. The visit was part of a follow-up of two portfolio committees who recently joined other African delegates that visited India on a study tour in November 2016. During the India study tour, they met one of the big GM cotton producers, JK Agri Genetics Ltd, (JK Seeds) who had joined the visit in Big Bend on 23^rd. Mr. Sanjay Kumar Gupta, President and Director JK Seeds encouraged Swaziland to take up GM cotton production "If this opportunity is grabbed with both hands, Swaziland can become one of the greatest exporters of cotton in the world," he said.

The event was also attended by the Secretary General Swaziland National Agricultural Union, Jabuleni Tsabedze who was impressed by the GM cotton performance. He promised to work together with the MPs in ensuring successful adoption of the technology.

For more information, contact Khosi Mkhatshwa at mmkhatshwa@cottonboard.co.sz or ceosec@cottonboard.co.sz.