FOUR
AFRICAN PRESIDENTS OK BIOTECH Four West Africa Presidents, Amadou Toumani Toure of Mali,
Mamadou Tandja of Niger, John Kufuor of Ghana, and Blaise Compaore
of Burkina Faso, have given their approval to the use of biotechnology
to improve food security in the continent.
Speaking at the “Ministerial Conference on Harnessing
Science and Technology to Increase Agricultural Productivity
in Africa” held in Ougadougou, Burkina Faso, the four
Presidents called on the participants to come up with clear
recommendations on how West Africa can quickly gain from
the technology.
President Blaise Campaore of Burkina Faso said “The
continent should increase food production 12 fold in order
to satisfy needs of its population. To meet this challenge,
Africa must acquire and adapt biotechnology to the agricultural
sectors.”
The three-day conference, which attracted over 400 participants,
focused on four main themes of critical importance to West
Africa, and the entire continent. They included biotechnology
and biosafety; regulatory policies and frameworks that will
support efforts to increase agricultural productivity; technology
transfer and marketing of African crops; and water management
and conservation./ Kenya Biotechnology Information Center
In related developments, USDA reported that the West African
ministers adopted a resolution calling for greater research
and investment in agricultural biotechnology and recommended
the creation of a West African center for biotechnology. They
also agreed to meet again in Bamako, Mali to discuss the development
of a regional action plan to strengthen research, testing,
technology transfer and scientific training.
The USDA
release is available online at http://www.usda.gov/Newsroom/0271.04.html.
Presentations
and other materials from the conference are being posted
on the Web at http://www.fas.usda.gov/
icd/stconf/event6.html.
AFRICABIO DEMONSTRATES POTENTIALS OF BIOTECH
AfricaBio joined forces with the Agricultural Research Council
(ARC) and the National African Farmers Union (NAFU), which
represents the interests of small scale farmers in South Africa,
to inform key decision makers, scientists and small scale farmers
on the role of modern biotechnology for sustainable development.
This is part of an ongoing strategy to promote the safe, responsible
and ethical use of biotechnology in South Africa.
Dave Keetch, President of the Board of Governors of Africabio,
said that the role of biotechnology in the region can better
be appreciated if regional policy makers can see for themselves
the practical benefits of the technology to small scale farmers.
In 2003/2004, AfricaBio established 1 ha plots of genetically
modified (GM) and conventional white maize at two sites in
South Africa. About 60 participants from eight countries participated
in a two-day program that involved presentations and discussions
on the role of biotechnology for regional maize farmers. In
addition, the two demonstration sites were visited and a planting
of conventional white maize was compared with GM white maize
of the same variety.
At the site in Northwest Province, yield data indicated an
increase of 35% for GM white maize over non-GM white maize.
In addition, the Bt white maize showed significantly less stem
borer damage to the cobs, 1% versus 19% for the non-GM maize.
For more of AfricaBio, visit http://www.africabio.com.
EU COUNCIL DISAPPROVES GM CORN
The Environment Council of Ministers did not reach a majority
vote to approve genetically modified (GM) corn (NK603) for
import, feed use, and industrial processing in the European
Union. Simon Barber, Director of the Plant Biotechnology Unit
at EuropaBio, the European association for bioindustries, said
that “Since April this year the EU GM regulatory framework
has been in place meeting the earlier demands of EU Member
States; the European Food Safety Authority has already provided
a positive safety assessment after reviewing the science; yet
the Council remains unable to approve this product.” The
application will now be passed back to the EU Commission.
EuropaBio reported that NK603 is corn genetically modified
to tolerate glyphosate herbicide and provides farmers with
additional options of weed control management. It is approved
for food use in Australia, Canada, Japan, Korea, and the United
States and was first approved in 2000.
Visit EuropaBio at http://www.europabio.org.
ISSUES AFFECTING AGRI-BIOTECH SECTOR IN INDIA
India's agricultural biotechnology industry has the necessary
policy and regulatory support to promote research and development.
However, product development and commercialization needs attention.
So says A. Damodaran, professor of economics at the Indian
Institute of Plantation Management in Bangalore, India.
In an article in Asian Biotechnology and Development Review,
Damodaran said that the multi-tiered regulatory framework could
seriously affect the performance of start-up companies that
would like to run through the entire life cycle of biotechnology
product development. He added that partnerships and strategic
alliances should be encouraged between start-up ventures and
established companies that have high product development capabilities.
Damodaran explained that a transgenic plant would have to
undergo multi-stage regulatory checks and clearances before
finding commercial application. The challenge, he said was
to take products through the regulatory processes. In addition,
market development and appropriate pricing of transgenic seeds
are formidable issues to confront.
The full article is in the March 2004 issue of Asian Biotechnology
and Development Review published by the Research and Information
System for the Non-Aligned and Other Developing Countries.
Visit its website at http://www.ris.org.in/abdr.html. Contact
A. Daamodaran at a_damodaran@hotmail.com.
INDIA AND US TO LINK ON AGRIC AND BIOTECH
Asia Pulse reported that India has signed a
letter of Intent on Agricultural Biotechnology Research and
Development with
the United States. The agreement hopes to boost the country's
food production through the adoption of "environment friendly" technologies.
Federal Minister for Science and Technology Kapil Sibal said
the program would bring together Indian and US institutions
to conduct agricultural biotechnology research projects and
address problems faced by Indian farmers. Both traditional
plant breeding and modern techniques would be used to achieve
a twofold increase in food production by 2025.
See the full article at http://asia.news.yahoo.com/
040629/4/1k6f2.html.
'TREATY ON PLANT GENETIC RESOURCES' BECOMES LAW
Last July 29, the International Treaty on Plant Genetic Resources
for Food and Agriculture has entered into force after being
ratified by 55 countries. One of the provisions of the treaty
is its Multilateral System for Access and Benefit Sharing.
This system ensures easy access and exchange of plant genetic
resources, and the fair and equitable sharing of benefits incurred
- which include exchange of information, access and transfer
of technology and capacity building. The Multilateral System
includes 35 food crops and 29 forage crops that are considered
important worldwide. Access to these plant genetic resources
will be given to plant breeders, farmers, and research institutions
(public and private) under standard conditions.
Another important element of the Treaty is
the creation of the “Global Crop Diversity Trust” which
will establish an endowment fund that will provide support
for gene bank conservation
and capacity-building for developing countries. This fund is
targeted at $260 million - approximately $45 million, of which,
has already been pledged. Benefiting the members of the Consultative
Group on International Agricultural Research (CGIAR) Centers,
the said trust was set up by the Food and Agriculture Organization
(FAO), and the International Plant Genetic Resources Institute.
Says Jacques Diouf, FAO director-general, "The
Treaty brings countries, farmers and plant breeders together
and offers
a multilateral approach for accessing genetic resources and
sharing their benefits. Humankind needs to safeguard and further
develop the precious crop gene pool that is essential for agriculture.
The agreement recognises that farmers around the world, particularly
those in the South, have developed and conserved plant genetic
resources over the millennia. It is now up to countries to
make the Treaty fully operative.”
Read the news release from FAO at http://www.fao.org/
newsroom/en/news/2004/47027/index.html.
NEW IAC REPORT ON AFRICAN AGRICULTURE
The InterAcademy Council recently published
a report entitled “Realising
the Promise and Potential of African Agriculture” wherein
scientists urged African countries and international donor
agencies to implement science- and technology-based initiatives
to answer the continent's food needs. However, the same experts
warned that it is far-fetched to believe that a “green
revolution,” similar to that of Asia during the 1970's
and 1980's, would similarly take place due to the ecological
and climatological diversity of conditions.
The 18-man panel, most of whom came from Africa, was co-chaired
by Speciosa Wadnira Kazibwe, former minister of agriculture,
animal industry, and fisheries in Uganda; Rudy Rabbinge, dean
ofWageningen Graduate School in the Netherlands; and M. S.
Swaminathan, past president of the National Academy of Agricultural
Sciences. The panel's report is based on a series of workshops
and expert analyses, and illustrates the elements of science
and technology strategies that are needed to achieve long-term
improvement in agricultural productivity and food security
in Africa.
Specifically, the recommended measures include the following:
- Creation
of a network of centers of research excellence across Africa;
- Prevent
the brain drain of newly-qualified agricultural scientists;
- Provide
an 'enabling environment' in which agricultural research
can flourish;
- Increase
significantly the amount of money allocated to agricultural
research in Africa, and double the current level
of expenditure on this sector.
- Use
genetically modified (GM) crops as an essential element
to develop foodstuffs that can be productively grown in less
hospitable conditions of the continent.
The full report is available at http://www.interacademycouncil.net/
report.asp?id=6959.
MORE STUDIES ON GM FOOD EFFECTS ENCOURAGED
According to the paper entitled “In Vivo Studies on
Possible Health Consequences of Genetically Modified Food and
Feed -with particular regard to Ingredients Consisting of Genetically
Modified Plant Materials,” by Ian F. Pryme, Department
of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, DepUniversity of Bergen,
Norway; and Rolf Lembcke of Oplysning om Genteknologi, Hvidehusvej,
Denmark, more scientific researches are needed to ensure that
consuming genetically modified (GM) food will not likely cause
any health problems. Pryme and Lembcke added that it is “essential
to adequately test in a transparent manner each individual
GM product before its introduction into the market.”
Reviewing data made available on ten studies that have been
published on the health effects of GM-foods and feeds, the
authors reviewed published in vivo studies on possible health
consequences of GM food and feed where the ingredients in question
have consisted of GM plant materials. These, however, did not
include studies on: ingredients consisting of genetically modified
microorganisms or parts of animals/fish; ingredients produced
by/from genetically modified organisms but without any DNA
present; studies on consequences for the environment or biodiversity;
and in vitro studies or computer simulations.
Pryme and Lembcke, likewise, suggested that
future studies be conducted on: effect of GM modification
process by comparing
the developed GM plant with the non-GM parent plant having
the “empty construct;” and close electron microscopic
observation of intestine tissues, chemical analysis of intestinal
tissue and luminal contents of the intestines, and immunological
studies to further assess the long term health effects of GM
food and feed products.
For
more information, email Ian F. Pryme at ian.pryme@ibmb.uib.no.
The full article may also be viewed at http://www.soilassociation.org/web/sa/saweb.nsf/0/
80256cad0046ee0c80256d66005ae0fe/$FILE/
NutritionHealthstudy.pdf.
|
