Washington, DC
January 5, 2009
U.S. producers of genetically
enhanced corn may soon see their products in the Kenyan market
as Kenya recently passed a bio-safety bill permitting
importation and cultivation of biotech crops and products. The
bill, which is expected to be signed by Kenya's President Mwai
Kibaki before Jan. 1, 2009, follows years of
U.S. Grains Council
programming aimed at promoting biotechnology in the region.
According to Kurt Shultz, USGC director in the Mediterranean and
Africa, the Council's work in the region continues to be felt
today, as evidenced by the new bill.
"The passage of this bill is a direct result of past Council
efforts in the region. It also shows that pro-biotech forces in
Africa have won a significant battle in the biotechnology
debate," he said. During its time in operation, the Council's
Southern Africa Biotechnology Test Plot Program had more than
600 small scale South African farmers and 94 extension agents
participate in field days at one of the Council's ten
demonstration sites.
The program also attracted the attention of several prominent
visitors. According to Shultz, in May 2006, a high-level
delegation from Kenya, Malawi and South Africa consisting of
Members of Parliament from each country, visited
Council-sponsored biotechnology test plots in South Africa.
"The timing was significant in that Kenya and Malawi were
debating bills to adopt the commercial cultivation of
biotechnology," he said.
"The positive impact and practical benefits the Members of
Parliament saw at the USGC-sponsored test plots convinced them
that Kenyan and Malawian farmers could benefit immensely from
the technology if its products were made available to them. As a
result, the Members of Parliament resolved to fast-track the
introduction of the technology into their respective countries."
With the passage of the Bio-Safety Bill into law, Kenyan farmers
will be able to use cultivated seeds to increase agricultural
production and productivity.
The law will also provide opportunities for Kenya to import
genetically enhanced products such as corn to address food
security concerns, a
USDA Foreign Agricultural Service GAIN report stated.
"Our activities in Africa are a good example of how Council
programs on biotechnology can pay off in the long run," said
Rebecca Fecitt, USGC director of biotechnology programs.
"With an issue like biotechnology, we sometimes don't see the
returns until a few years down the road, but the results can be
far-reaching. I'm very pleased to see that things worked out so
well in Kenya, a country that has emerged as a leader in
biotechnology in east Africa." |
|
