West Africa to Benefit Much from Bt Crops, Study Says

A study made by researchers from Oklahoma State University and Purdue University showed that West African consumers and producers would obtain significant benefits from the introduction of Bt crops. From an economic impact study, the benefits could total to about $89 million per year if these technologies are adopted in the region. Of the benefits, about 74% would go to the producers and 26% to the seed companies.

There are already field trials of Bt crops in South Africa and Burkina Faso that demonstrated the technical merits of biotech crops. However, the researchers note that Africa has been still slow to respond to biotechnology while the pest management in the region is becoming increasingly obsolete. They recommend that for the crops to reach  the hands of African farmers, there should be  progressive thinking on the side of the policy makers.

The paper published in AgBioForum is available for download at http://www.agbioforum.org/v10n2/v10n2a02-vitale.pdf