By Sizwe samaYende, News 24 via Checkbiotech

New varieties of super resistant and fast growing genetically modified (GM) cotton will be tested in six Mpumalanga and Limpopo towns.

The field trials — near Groblersdal, Malelane, Marble Hall, White River and Schoemanskloof in Mpumalanga and Musina in Limpopo — will be the third carried out in South Africa by multinational agricultural biotechnology company, Monsanto.

Monsanto spokesperson Magda du Toit said on Tuesday the field trials are part of a larger programme to develop commercial grade cotton resistant to bollworms and tolerant to herbicides.

"We did some trials over the past two years and submitted all the information to the [South African] agriculture department for approval," said Du Toit.

She said Monsanto had already applied to the department to register intellectual ownership of the resulting super cotton after the trials are completed.

Du Toit said the research and seed production trials would cover between 0.3 to 30-hectares at each test site, and the fields would all be surrounded by 12m of non-GM cotton to prevent the GM plants from spreading.

Seeds resulting from the trials, she said, would be shipped to the United States (US).

Debate still rages over GM products

The fields will be thoroughly harvested to prevented the plants regrowing in the following cotton season, she added.

Genetically modified plants are still a matter of debate all over the world.

Some countries, such as Zambia, do not allow GM crops or foods containing GM products because of either health concerns or due to fears that they will replace or eventually wipe out indigenous natural plants species.

Major South African grocery and retail chains, such as Woolworths, also already clearly distinguish between GM and organically grown natural foods.

Small farmers across the world are meanwhile concerned GM seeds will contaminate their natural crops, opening them to potential demands for royalties from GM companies such as Monsanto.

Farmers are already fighting demands for 'licensing fees' from Monsanto in Canada, where a local farmer was invoiced after wind-blown seeds allegedly started growing in his fields.

GM crops are, however, widely accepted in the US and the European Union (EU) has also just released a report examining 81 different GM trials over a 15-year period. The report declares GM foods safe for human consumption.

Anyone interested in finding out more information about the South African field trials, or commenting on the proposed initiative, can register as interested and affected parties by faxing the South African Registrar of GM Organisms on (012) 319-6329.

Edited by Fidelia van der Linde