More Voices in Africa are Calling for Increased Biotech Adoption

More African stakeholders are calling for increased adoption of GM crops to benefit farmers in the continent. During the recent launch of ISAAA's 2014 report on commercialized biotech crops, stakeholders in Burkina Faso and Kenya including policy makers, farmers and academicians said that the reported benefits should be enjoyed by the African farmers as well. In Burkina Faso, the new Minister for Science and Technology, Dr. Jean-Noel Poda reiterated the commitment by the country to use biotechnology, which has already given considerable benefits to farmers and the country.

"A recent study by Institut de l'Environnement et de Recherches Agricoles (INERA), the country's agricultural research institute, showed that Bt cotton farmers gained about 31% yield increase," said Dr. Poda. He added that thanks to Bt cotton, Burkina Faso is the number one country in cotton production in West Africa with 700,000 tonnes produced per year.

In Kenya, Hon. Dr. Robert Pukose, deputy chair of the parliamentary committee on health called for the lifting of the ban on GM food imports in Kenya, saying that fears related to their safety are unfounded. "If anything, food derived from GM crops are healthier because scientists have tested them for any adverse effects to human's well-being."

Dr. Pukose's speech was much appreciated by farmers who asked that they benefit from the products of research, especially Bt cotton. "Other farmers are benefiting all over the world, what is preventing us from enjoying the same? If it is the ban on GM food imports, the government should lift it," said Mr. Mugo Magondu, a farmer from Embu County, Eastern Kenya.

For more information, contact Dr. Margaret Karembu, director, ISAAA AfriCenter and chair of the Open Forum on Agricultural Biotechnology (OFAB) Kenya Programming Committee at mkarembu@isaaa.org.