Scientists want the government to lift the ban on GMO imports

A 2011 protest in Nairobi against plans to import GMO foods. Scientists want the government to lift the ban on GMO imports. Photo/FILE  NATION MEDIA GROUP

By Gerald Andae

In Summary

• Scientists want the government to lift the ban on imports of genetically modified organisms to address a looming food shortage
• Kennedy Oyugi, programme officer at the African Biotechnology Stakeholders Forum on Monday pointed out there were serious food security concerns in Kenya due to failed rains and the breakout of maize lethal necrosis disease, which has seriously cut down on production
• The country, according to the government, will fall short of 10 million bags of maize this year and plans are underway to carry out imports to fill the deficit

Journal retracts article that linked GMO food to cancer 

 

 

Scientists want the government to lift the ban on imports of genetically modified organisms (GMOs) to address a looming food shortage.

Speaking at the Kenya Agricultural Research Institute (Kari) on Monday, the reseachers said the ban was based on erroneous data linking the products to cancer.

“We call on Cabinet to immediately reconsider the matter of the GMO ban. We know that the science it was based on has been found to be invalid, so the policy must be rescinded without delay,” said Kennedy Oyugi, programme officer at the African Biotechnology Stakeholders Forum (ABSF).

Mr Oyugi pointed out there were serious food security concerns in Kenya due to failed rains and the breakout of maize lethal necrosis disease, which has seriously cut down on production.

He said the ban has held back important work being conducted on biotechnology by Kenyan scientists, which intends to produce better crop varieties to tackle disease, reduce chemical use and increase yield.

The country, according to the government, will fall short of 10 million bags of maize this year and plans are underway to carry out imports to fill the deficit.

Last week, a global scientific journal retracted an article that it had published earlier that linked genetically modified food to cancer.

The study, whose results were published in the November 2012 edition of the Journal of Food and Chemical Toxicology, linked the formation of cancerous tumours in rats to the GMO maize they were fed on.

Richard Oduor, a lecturer at Kenyatta University, stated that more than five Kenyan universities already offered degree courses in biotechnology and the ban on GMO imports created a bad impression on students pursuing the course.

“When we ban GMO in the country and we have students who are pursuing those courses, it creates an impression in their mind that what they are doing is useless since they cannot execute what they were taught anywhere within the country,” said Dr Oduor.

Florence Wambugu, a plant pathologist and virologist known for her advocacy of using biotechnology to increase food production in Africa, wondered why Kenya was the only country in the world that has imposed a ban on GMO imports.

She urged politicians to give scientists a chance to prove the safety of the products.

Dr Wambugu noted that the once vibrant cotton industry can be revived by adopting GMO breeds that mature fast and are highly productive.



“The only way to remain competitive in the cotton industry is by embracing the use of GMO technology,” said Dr Wambugu.

She urged the government to disband a taskforce put in place to address the safety of GMOs as it was no longer relevant following retraction of the original statement linking genetically modified produce to cancer.

The ban on GMOs in the country was introduced last year when a task force formed by then minister for Public Health Beth Mugo recommended the foods were not safe for consumption, partly basing their statement on what had been published.