BY NEW BUSINESS ETHIOPIA REPORTER
Ethiopia needs a national biotechnology policy in order to develop its capacity and apply the technology in Agriculture, environment, health and energy sectors, said scientists.
“In order to characterize and understand its natural resources and use to its benefit, the country needs national biotechnology policy and strategy,” said Dr. Tilahun Zeweldu, regional coordinator of the Uganda-based Agricultural Biotechnology Support Program (ABSPII).
“Biotechnology is a powerful trillion dollars technology in the market. We can benefit from it if we are smart enough to use it to our benefit. The technology along with other efforts such as changing the backward farming system, reducing land degradation, etc, can end Ethiopia’s dependency on food aid,” he said.
The scientist made the statement while presenting his paper to the media today (July 20, 2010) on half day meeting organized by the Ethiopian Environmental Journalists Association here in Addis Ababa.
Stating that even thought there were efforts in Ethiopia to use biotechnology for improving poor performance of the Agriculture sector of the country by using biotechnologies such as bio-fertilizers, the country is not able to scale up such research out puts due to lack of policy and strategy , according Dr. Tilahun.
He also noted that if such policy and strategy had been in place bio-fertilizer, which is produced in Ethiopia and tested on the ground a few years back would have been used at large scale for improving agriculture of the country.
“Scaling up the production and dissemination of the bio-fertilizer needs a strong public-private partnership guided by the proper policy and strategy,” he said.
The debate on genetic reengineering crops
The issue of Genetically Modified (GM) crops was the main issue of debate during this meeting. “Before introducing GM crops to Ethiopia in the name of biotechnology, we have to consider first the human and ecological risks,” said Gebremedhine Birega, Director of Ethiopian Society for Consumers' Protection.
“We need to answer the issue of safety and ownership/patent before distributing GM seeds to our farmers. This is the new re-colonizing the world strategy of American and its giant companies by controlling the seed, then the food and our life at the end,” he said.
“I am not saying GM seeds are completely safe forever, but we can use it knowing like we use electricity,” said Professor Peter Gregory of College of Agriculture and Life Sciences at the New York-based Cornell University
“I don’t buy the idea comparing other technologies with this one. As the technology is new, we need information first on the science itself before deciding whether to use it or not,” Gebremedihine argued.
“If something goes wrong your government can subsidize your farmers, but my mother’s non GM crop will be dominated by the powerful GM crops and be kicked out of market,” he said.
If something with GM crops goes wrong the promoters who think that the technology will improve Ethiopia’s agricultural production have to take the responsibility, according to Genbremedhine.
Responding to the argument and accepting some of the concerns of Gebremedhine, “Other countries’ farmers are using GM seeds because they are benefiting not because they are subsidized,” said Professor Peter Gregory.
“Beyond speculation, no evidence have been found so far that shows the harm caused due to GM crops,” according to the professor.
Concluding the debate, “There is no difference in our objective, the difference lies on how we help our people get enough nutritional foods and become self sufficient,” said Dr. Tilahun who also advocated for need to understand, localize and use the technology gradually.
“We have to generate our own technologies and build our capacities in relation to the application of GM crops or other biotechnologies for feeding ourselves, instead of complaining about others’ technology,” he concludes.
According to presentation of Dr. Tilahun, in Africa in 2009, South Africa has covered 2.1 million hectares of land with GM maize, cotton and soybeans crops, while Egypt produced GM maize on half a million hectares and Burkina Faso covered 0.1 million hectares of land with GM cotton.
Globally the United States of America leads covering 64 million hectares of land with GM crops, while Argentina follows with 21.3 million hectares and Canada and China respectively follows with 8.2 and 3.7 million hectares GM crops.
-
|213.55.76.xxx |2010-08-01 05:36:10 Anonymous...controlling the seed, then the food and our lives at the end...
as if we aren't yet controlled
-
|218.104.230.xxx |2010-09-01 03:29:28 Replica Accutron Men's Watch # - Replica Accutron Men's Watch #28B8279983369175689 the Led Lights Bulbs or Buy Led Lights came while a array of innovations so as near light on the road to redefine want meet unchangeable. on the time of the calong with endedle on the realities of the Edison Led Ceiling Lights , the tungsten yarn twist has prevailed for decades. 12v Led Lights are usefulness semiconductor semi-points and expand low-cutbrow having the status of of its facts compensation over low bake straight tungsten filament. the inventors call together a classic to may well press furthermore the Fairy Lights Ledof the sports car and called the auto Trailer Led Lights urbanized.
I am Instructor of Adama University School of agriculture.Really it is good and profitable plan to bring our agricultural sector to be productive to feed our hunger as well frequantly occuring drought.
so me as one Ethiopian University Lecturer ,I am very glad to see blessed plan. I will communicate you for cooperation and information exchange.
thank U!