farmers |
Burkina Faso is
phasing out genetically modified cotton. It says it produces a poor
quality crop which fetches low prices. This hasn't stop other African
states from using genetic technology, or trying it out.
Burkina Faso's
"white gold" was famous. For years, the cotton grown in the West African
country was regarded as the best on the continent until the harvests
were destroyed by pests and drought in the 1990s, ruining the
livelihoods of thousands of cotton farmers.
The US agricultural seed
manufacturer Monsanto promised Burkina Faso a remedy: genetically
modified cotton seeds that would be resistant to a changing climate,
simplify pest protection and produce bumper yields. Burkina Faso's
government signed a deal with Monsanto in 2003 and six years later
genetically modified seeds were distributed to cotton farmers. Soon 70
percent of cotton fields were sown with genetically modified seed.
Recently, there has
been a change in policy. In April 2016, Burkinabe President Roch Marc
Christian Kabore announced that permission to grow genetically modified
cotton would be withdrawn from 2018 onwards. Farmers had complained that
genetically modified cotton yielded shorter fibers than the
conventional variety and it was no longer possible to manufacture the
smooth and stable thread which was essential for textile production.
Cotton produced by Burkinabe famers therefore now fetches relatively low
prices on the world market.
Burkina Faso's
cotton producers estimate their losses between 2011 and 2016 at around
$82 million (74 million euros) and are demanding compensation from
Monsanto. The US-based company does not believe this is justified. It
told AFP their seed had boosted the farmers' harvests and reduced
pesticide use.
GM crops in Africa
Monsanto is under
pressure. The brand leader in seed and pesticides faces a possible
take-over by Germany's chemical and pharmaceuticals giant Bayer.
Uncertainty also surrounds future sales of its glyphosate weedkiller,
with EU member states due to decide this week whether or not to revoke
the license for the suspected carcinogen.
Burkina Faso's
decision to abandon genetically modified cotton is unlikely to have much
impact elsewhere. South Africa, Egypt and Sudan cultivate genetically
modified crops and will likely continue to do so. "Trials are underway
in Malawi, Kenya, Uganda, Nigeria and Ghana," South African Haidee
Swsanby from the African Center for Biodiversity told DW. The
environmentalist group Greenpeace says that 90 percent of genetically
modified crops are produced by Monsanto.
African governments
find it difficult to confront the US genetic technology lobby, says
Swanby. African countries are only just beginning to learn how to
restrict the spread of genetically modified crops. This is partly due to
the influence of US science and research. "US experts help African
countries draft legislation which serve their companies' interests,"
said Swanby.
In the United
States, there are hardly any restrictions on the sale or production of
genetically modified foods. The US government has assisted many African
scientists with their research, Swanby said. The Bill and Melinda Gates
Foundation has pumped large sums of money into agricultural projects
involving genetically modified seed, Swanby said in an article written
for news website Commondreams. The promise made by the donors is that
genetic technology can defeat hunger in Africa.
Other countries
Following Burkina
Faso's decision to phase out genetically modified cotton,
environmentalists had hoped other African nations would follow suit. It
was not to be. In April, Nigeria's National Biosafety Management Agency
gave Monsanto permits for trials with genetically modified maize and
cotton. "We were very surprised that Nigeria had issued a permit for
genetically modified cotton after Burkina Faso had decided to phase it
out," Swanby said.
"The decision was
taken on a Sunday when nobody was around," said Mariann Bassey Orovwuje,
from Friends of the Earth Nigeria. "They was an outcry in Nigeria," she
told DW. Around five million Nigerians, farmers, women traders, members
of civil society and others had signed a petition listing their
concerns which they presented to the authorities. "We are worried that
Nigeria is adopting this technology without proper scrutiny. We have
learned nothing from the experiences of our neighbors in Burkina Faso,"
said Bassey Orovwuje.
She is convinced
that small-scale farmers could grow produce in sufficient quantities
using conventional crops. "But they need assistance from the
government," Bassey Orovwuje said.
The African Center
for Biodiversity in Johannesburg estimates that 80 percent of food in
Africa is produced by small-scale farmers. Swanby said that they are the
losers when genetically modified seed is sown. "Genetic technology is
extremely expensive. A farmer needs at least 500 hectares (1200 acres)
before it pays its way. Most small scale farmers own much smaller plots
of land.
In South Africa,
farmers have to pay twice, sometimes five times as much for genetically
modified maize than for the conventional variety. They can't even
extract seeds for replanting from their own crop and have to buy a new
batch every year. Monsanto also sells fertilizer, pesticides, weedkiller
- such as glyphosate - to the customers of its genetically modified
seed at the same time.
Swanby said that if
the EU were to withdraw the authorization for glyphosate it would be "a
dream come true." If suspicions about the health hazard it presents are
confirmed, then she hopes her home country South Africa will reconsider
its excessive use on maize, soya, wine grapes, and sugar cane, Perhaps,
it might even rethink its policy on genetically modified crops.
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