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In This
Issue:
BOTSWANA DRAFTS GMO REGULATION FRAMEWORK The first stakeholders' workshop on the drafting of a framework
for the regulation of genetically modified organisms (GMO) was recently
held in Bostwana. Organized by the Ministry of Agriculture, this
is the country's first attempt on setting guidelines on how the importation
and restriction of GMO technology in the country should be handled.
Dr Mmasera Manthe -Tsuaneng, the national Biosafety coordinator,
emphasized that genetic engineering promises advances in medicine,
agriculture and industrial products. She added that this technology
has the potential to increase food security, decrease land use, and
increase sustainable agricultural yield.
Among the concerns raised during the workshop was the need to carefully
review existing laws, and who will be responsible for the funding
once the framework has been put in place. Based on the Namibian experience,
which was cited by the representatives from the Namibian Biotechnology
Alliance (NBA), the government is a co-funder but the large bulk
of the funding came from donor agencies.
Botswana is a signatory to the Cartagena Protocol on Biosafety,
which deals with the conservation of biological diversity and the
equitable sharing of benefits derived from biotechnology.
Read the news release at http://allafrica.com/stories/200404300296.html.
STUDY ON GM FOOD LABELING IN THE PHILIPPINES
It is important
to assess the genetically modified (GM) labeling options available
in the Philippines. It should consider one that
carefully considers the “consumer's right to know” on
one hand, and the cost implication of GM labeling to affected sectors
on the other. This was the recommendation of a report released recently
by the Bureau of Food and Drugs in the Philippines on the costs implications
of GM food labeling in the country.
The study evaluated the impact of GM food labeling in the Philippines
from the standpoint of all stakeholders concerned. Focusing on two
GM products, soybean and corn, significant portion of the study examined
the cost implications of mandatory GM food labeling in the country
and its effect to the farmers, traders and manufacturers, the government,
and consumers.
Attendant costs of mandatory labeling of GM food products in the
Philippines will be borne in raw material segregation and differentiation
at the farm level and in manufacturing. The imposition of mandatory
labeling laws will imply an additional manufacturing cost by 11%
to 12%. With the increase in raw material and manufacturing costs,
even the top earning companies in the country will not be able to
absorb the increase. What is expected however is that part, if not
all of the additional cost will be passed on to the consumers. Regardless
of the type of labeling to be adopted, whether voluntary or mandatory,
the Philippine government will have to incur regulatory costs in
the implementation of a GM labeling policy.
The report was written by Augusto de Leon, Abraham Manalo, and Fe
Cielo Guilatco.
For the full report, please contact Abraham Manalo at Abraham_manalo@up.edu.ph.
FIRST EUROPEAN STUDY ON GMO CO-EXISTENCE
The Institute
for Research on Agronomic Techniques (IRTA) at Lleida, Catalonia,
Spain presented the first European study on genetic modification
(GM) co-existence last March. These findings were based on practical
results obtained in field trials with maize, which were carried out
in 2003 near Invars d'Urgell. In these field tests, the researchers
observed the interaction between the Bt-maize variety “Compa
CB” (Bt-176) and the isogenic conventional maize variety “Brasco”.
Results showed that a separation distance of 25 meters between fields
with GM and non-GM crops was sufficient to ensure that the transgenic
content in the conventional produce remained below the required European
Commission (EC) labeling threshold of 0.9% GM content. However, this
recommended safety distance was valid only for acreages above one
hectare.
In smaller fields, and in areas of GM cultivation directly adjacent
to conventional plantings, the EC labeling threshold was exceeded,
especially in the main wind direction. This was also observed in
strips up to 10 meters wide between fields of GM and non-GM maize.
However, this effect was considerably reduced in fields larger than
one hectare. The mixing of corn from the field borders with plants
further away from the GM plantings - and which the heavy maize pollen
did not reach even with strong winds - was responsible for this dilution
effect.
The full article
was published at the European Biotechnology Science & Industry
News, 3(4), (2004), and can be downloaded at http://www.biocom.de/english/ebn-index.htm.
CROP IMPROVEMENT MEETING IN KENYA
Gene transformation experts from the Consultative Group in International
Agricultural Research (CGIAR) centers met in Nairobi, Kenya recently
to discuss Gene Transfer and Crop Improvement, a sub-program of the
World Bank's Generation Challenge Program that focuses on improving
crop varieties in developing countries.
The workshop coordinator, Dr. Marc Ghilain, head of the Molecular
Biology Laboratory Crop Improvement and Genetic Resources Department
at the International Potato Centre in Lima, Peru, said that the sub-program
would enable more breeders to readily move valuable traits into targeted
crops using various breeding techniques.
Dr. Ghilain added that the objective of the challenge program is
to bring together people in the CGIAR centres and public sectors
to share resources, ideas and information on their projects to reduce
duplication of efforts and wastage of scarce resources. He said that
the main aim of the program is to make poor countries food secure
through another Green Revolution.
According to Dr. Robert Zeigler, the Director of the Generation
Challenge Program, the programs' activities will cost about US$12.5
million annually. The funding will largely come from the World Bank
and the European Union, with some coming from the CGIAR.
The Challenge program has five components, namely: genetic diversity
of global genetic resources; comparative genomics for gene discovery;
gene transfer and crop improvement; genomic and crop information
systems; and capacity building. The program incorporates a technology
transfer plan to ensure that the products of its research would be
made available to farmers and breeders.
The program brings together three sets of partners. The CGIAR centers
that keep vast amounts of plant diversity in trust for humanity and
have expertise in molecular research and global breeding programs;
the National Agricultural Research Systems of developing countries
that bring expertise in the assessment and breeding of plants under
specific conditions, with the participation of farmers; and the Advanced
Research Institutes to develop novel techniques and strategies to
decode genetic diversity./ Kenya Biotechnology Information Center
(KBIC)
USAID INVESTS ON BIOTECH IN NIGERIA
The United States Agency for International Development (USAID) was
reported to invest over N400 million for the development of biotechnology
in Nigeria. The federal government of Nigeria, the International
Institute for Tropical Agriculture (IITA), and USAID signed an agreement
that stipulates that such funds will be provided, within a span of
three years, to establish a Foundation for Nigeria that will maximize
the potential of biotechnology to improve the country's agriculture.
Professor Turner
Isoun, representative of the federal government of Nigeria, stated
that biotechnology will soon be the “scale” by
which the development of countries will be measured against. Isoun
foresees that any country that does not take advantage of biotechnology
now will experience a technological set back in the future.
The agreement was signed during an international workshop that was
organized by the National Biotechnology Development Agency, the Tuskegee
University, IITA, and USAID.
Read the news release at http://allafrica.com/stories/200405040182.html.
MAKING GM FOODS PUBLICLY ACCEPTABLE
Making agricultural biotechnology publicly acceptable is complex
and involves more than just communicating their benefits. So says
Gene Rowe of the Institute of Food Research in Norwich, United Kingdom.
In a paper entitled “How can genetically modified foods be
made publicly acceptable?”, Rowe said that the general public
in different countries are not identical in their support of, or
opposition to, GM foods and crops. For example, the European public
is less enthusiastic about the contribution of technology to daily
life than the North American public who has a relatively greater
confidence in the benefits of agri-biotech.
People's perception
of “risk” also vary and is complicated
by the perceptual multidimensionality of the concept according to
Rowe. For example, if perceptions of the risks related to any potential
hazard or technology are sufficiently high, no amount of benefits
are liable to make it acceptable. People might also judge a technology
to be risky if they or scientists know little about it.
Rowe added that
technology advocates need to consider the issue of trust. “Information
on benefits and risks must come from a source, and if that source
is distrusted it matters little how
full or persuasive their information is.
See the full article in Trends in Biotechnology (Vol. 22, No. 3,
March 2004). The journal is available online at http://www.sciencedirect.com.
GENETIC ENRICHMENT OF NUTRITIONAL QUALITY
An integrated
approach to genetics and molecular breeding is likely to make a
food-based approach to nutrition even more effective in
the future. This was one of the strategies discussed by M.S. Swaminathan
in his article “Nutrition security and natural resources scarcity
in Asia” published in the 42nd issue of Quarterly Journal of
International Agriculture.
Swaminathan, World Food prize winner and head of an Indian foundation
in his name, noted the following scope for the genetic enhancement
of nutritional quality:
- Quality
protein maize - refers to enhanced levels of the two “essential” amino
acids, lysine and tryptophan, in the endosperm protein. New varieties
developed at the International Maize and Wheat Research Centre in
Mexico look and taste like normal maize but the nutritive value of
their protein is nearly equivalent to a cow's milk.
- Beta-carotenoid
rich rice - popularly known as “golden rice”,
it contains genes that produce high levels of beta-carotene and related
compounds, which is converted in the human body as vitamin A.
- Iron
enrichment - rice fortified with iron is being developed where
the iron content increased two fold in the modified crop.
- Designer
potato - possibilities for modifying the amino acid content in
potato, a very important non-cereal food crop, has implications
for improving child and adult nutrition since mash potato can be
fed to young children.
Swaminathan said
that integration of conventional breeding with advanced techniques
will help enhance the nutritive value of staples. “By
integrating pre-breeding in laboratories with participatory breeding
in farmer's fields, it will be possible to breed location specific
varieties and maintain genetic diversity in crop fields,” he
concluded.
PUBLIC CONCERN ABOUT BIOTECH
While there are no adequate controls over the processes, motivations,
and outcomes of the development and applications of biotechnology
and gene technology, there are possible concerns that can be addressed
to achieve public confidence. These concerns, according to Craig
Cormick , manager of public awareness for the Australian government
agency Biotechnology Australia, are:
- Information
- a level of understanding of the technology and what it can and
cannot do- which has to be provided by a credible source
- Regulation
- a level of confidence that effective regulation exists to
protect humanity and the environment
- Consultation
- a feeling that the public has some input to the development
of the technology
- Consumer
choice - the ability to accept or reject each application
of the technology
- Consumer
benefit - a clear individual and societal benefit from each
application.
Cormick noted
that very few applications of biotechnology meet all the five criteria
well and if any, are not able to fulfill them well. “Public
policy and communications strategies should be based on a sound understanding
of what drives current public concern and what needs to be addressed
to alleviate those concerns,” Cormick concluded. The full article
entitled “Perceptions of risk relating to
biotechnology in Australia” is available in Vol. 5, No. 2,
2003 issue of the International Journal of Biotechnology. Email Craig
Cormick at Craig.Cormick@biotechnology.gov.au.
UC DAVIS - HOME TO PIPRA
By July of this year, the University of California (UC) Davis will
house an initiative called the Public Intellectual Property Resource
for Agriculture (PIPRA), which is a collection of about 20 universities
and philanthropic groups that aims to overcome the legal barriers
that slow down the development of biotech crops - particularly those
involving the patenting and licensing of genes.
Formed in 2003 by the leading academics in the United States, PIPRA
aims to assist developing countries and farmers to address legal
issues and constraints, pertaining to biotech crops, that have
emerged over the past two decades. The PIPRA advisory board is
composed by: Gurdev Khush, respected scientist and rice-breeder;
Kent Bradford, director of the Seed Biotechnology Center, UC Davis;
and Martina Newell-McGloughlin, director of the UC systemwide biotech
program.
For more information about PIPRA, see their website at http://www.pipra.org/.
U.S. RESEARCHERS DEVELOP ENHANCED CORN
Researchers at the University of California, Riverside reported
the development of a technology that doubles the protein and oil
content of corn while reducing its carbohydrate content.
University of California's Ricardo Duran explained that Daniel R.
Gallie and colleagues introduced a gene that enabled the production
of cytokinin in developing flowers. Flowers in the corn ear develop
in pairs but one from each pair aborts before pollination can occur.
Because of the role that the plant hormone, cytokinin, plays in preventing
organ death, the authors reasoned that cytokinin might rescue those
flowers, which were destined to abort.
Flower abortion
was prevented and the kernels produced from pairs of flowers fused
into a single normal-sized kernel that contained
two embryos and a smaller endosperm. "Because it is the embryo
that contains the majority of protein and oil, the presence of two
embryos doubles their content in corn grain. The reduction in the
size of the endosperm in the kernel, the tissue that contains most
of the carbohydrate, means that the nutritional value of the grain
has been improved considerably," Gallie explained.
The full article is available in the June issue of the Plant Journal.
For more information contact Ricardo Duran at ricardo.duran@ucr.edu. |
