Following a meeting in Japan between members of the Cartagena Protocol on Biosafety, Mariam Mayet says there ‘is a huge disconnect between the rather timid, insipid and potentially dated work of the Protocol and the huge biosafety challenges presented on the domestic level in many countries’.

Ten years after the Cartagena Protocol on Biosafety (Biosafety Protocol) was adopted, the Parties to the Protocol met in Nagoya Japan between 11 – 15 October 2010 to adopt a new treaty, the ‘Nagoya – Kuala Lumpur Supplementary Protocol on Liability and Redress to the Cartagena Protocol on Biosafety’ (Supplementary Protocol).

This new treaty will need to be ratified by at least 40 parties to the Biosafety Protocol before it can come into effect. Its consequent implementation will take place within the overall framework of the Biosafety Protocol in an integrated manner.

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South African maize from genetically modified (GM) crops is completely safe for human and animal consumption, an independent biotechnology consultant Dr Wynand van der Walt said on Monday.

He was responding to comments by the African Centre for Biosafety (ACB) that South Africa had “dumped” GM maize on African markets, including Kenya, Mozambique and Swaziland.

“It is a pity that repeated media releases by ACB ignore basic facts and wallow in distorted information.

“Both South Africa and Kenya followed exactly the procedural requirements under the Cartagena Protocol on Biosafety, and the allegation that our maize is being dumped on African markets contrary to Protocol rules, is a blatant lie.”

Van der Walt said South African regulatory authorities had a working relationship with their counterparts in Swaziland and there was “no dumping”.

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Kampala — KITGUM district agricultural department has embarked on promoting the growing of a variety of cassava called MH 97/2961, saying it has several advantages over others.

District agriculture officer, Peter Abal said the improved cassava variety does not only have high yield but also matures early and is tolerant to diseases.

He added that the crop could serve well as food security and eradicate poverty by bringing instant income.

“We have been promoting this cassava for the last two years and farmers have embraced it. This variety could serve well as a food security crop since it matures early and the yield is very good,” he said.

The crop, when planted on one acre of land with about 4,000 stands, could fetch the farmer about sh4m in an open market, said one farmer.

Abal said the planting of cassava should be promoted on a large scale to help fight rampant food shortages.

“Cassava is good because it can be used in many ways. You can turn in into flour and eat is as bread or eat it fresh. It can also be used for brewing local drinks,” Abal said.

He said the cassava cuttings are available on the market.

From: New Vision Website – Uganda

Philip Brasher, Des Moines Register (Iowa) (Blog), Nov. 25, 2009

Africa must do something to produce more food, given the challenges of climate change and a fast-growing population. Kenya alone is expected to need nearly three times as much maize, or corn, to feed its population in 2050 as it does today.

Could genetically engineered crops be the answer? I’m going to look into that question over the coming weeks in Kenya, where research is underway on new drought-tolerant varieties of corn, and in South Africa, the only country in sub-Saharan Africa that has commercialized a biotech food crop.

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Zimbabwe – Harare – The Zimbabwe Commercial Farmers Union (ZCFU) has called on the Government to allow farmers to plant Genetically Modified Organisms (GMOs) maize seed so as to increase harvest and counter imports.

In a telephone interview yesterday, the organisation’s vice president for administration Robert Marapira said GMO maize could be the short term solution to the country food shortages. ” It is known that the country has over the past decade failed to harvest adequate maize to cater for the needs of the citizens hence we believe that the growing of genetically modified maize could be the counter measure especially taking into consideration that the Government has been spending millions of dollars in sourcing grain from outside the country,” he said.

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