Ghana CSIR Affirms Safety of GM Crops

Genetically modified crops are safer than conventional ones as they go through very rigorous tests and processes over many years before they are released onto the market, a biosafety and environmentalist research scientist at the Crop Research Institute of Ghana's Council for Scientific and Industrial Research (CSIR) has said. Charles Afriyie Debrah said there is no evidence that GMOs have been responsible for diseases adding that they are cheaper, more environmentally friendly and sustainable. 

Addressing members of the Ghana Agricultural and Rural Development Journalists (GARDJA) at a training on the basics of biotechnology, Mr. Debrah emphasized that GM technology is one of the several available options to help improve agricultural production and exuded confidence that the technology will offer farmers the best opportunity to scale up food production. 

"This technology is an alternative. At the Crop Research Institute, we are doing research on GMOs but we are not letting go of the conventional," he said. 

The training was part of a series of programs designed for editors and journalists to build on their understanding of biotechnology, Ghana's biosafety regulatory system, and the implications for food security and economic growth as the country gears up for GM crops commercialization. 

Ghana's Biosafety Act (2011) allows for production and commercialization of GMOs in the country. The CSIR is currently undertaking field trials for GM rice and cowpea.Plans are at an advanced stage for environmental release application of cowpea in the year 2018-19. 

For more on the workshop, contact Charles Afriyie Debrah, Biosafety and Environmentalist Research Scientist – CSIR, Crop Research Institute through email: degreatdebrahgh@gmail.com or cafriyiedebrah@ymail.com.