EXTRACTS: COPAGEN and another regional organisation called JINKUN said in a statement in September that the Burkina government had begun trials of Bt cotton in 2003 without first setting up any regulatory controls, under pressure from United Ststes biotech firms Monsanto and Syngenta, and the US state departments for development aid and farming.
"...there are a number of solutions other than GMOs, solutions that are scientifically controllable, economically profitable and socially sustainable."
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Burkina Faso's GM cotton causes concern
Business in Africa, 27 November 2006
http://www.businessinafrica.net/news/west_africa/346803.htm
Ouagadougou - Africa's largest producer of cotton, Burkina Faso, was to introduce transgenic cotton to the market in June 2007 in a bid to increase production and fortify a crop susceptible to insects, the country's largest textile firm said on Friday.
The plan has sparked concern from organisations that believe genetically modified organisms pose a potential danger to the environment and human health and would not solve Africa's farming problems.
"There is no longer any obstacle to introducing transgenic cotton in Burkina. It was scheduled to be introduced in 2008, but the authorities want it to be in 2007," said Celestin Tiendrebeogo, director of the Society of Burkina Fibers and Textiles (Sofitex).
"This new technology will reduce the cost of production for farmers and eliminate the predators of the cotton sector," added Agriculture Minister Salif Diallo.
Burkina launched trials of genetically-modified Bt cotton in 2003. Cotton production accounts for 60 percent of state revenue and supported four million people.
Producers hope transgenic cotton would lead to a 30 percent increase in production per hectare and a reduction in the use of insecticides, Tiendrebeogo said.
The Coalition for the Protection of African Genetic Heritage (COPAGEN), a grouping of Sub-Saharan farming and consumer organisations, however, voiced concern at the prospect.
"We have real concerns about a hasty (decision) ... on the introduction of transgenic cotton in Burkina Faso," the association said.
COPAGEN and another regional organisation called JINKUN said in a statement in September that the Burkina government had begun trials of Bt cotton in 2003 without first setting up any regulatory controls, under pressure from United Ststes biotech firms Monsanto and Syngenta, and the US state departments for development aid and farming.
Introducing transgenic cotton was "a Trojan horse" that would allow such biotech multinationals to bring a whole range of GM crops into Africa, they said.
"The problems of cotton in the sub-region today have nothing to do with seeds or productivity or yields," their statement said.
"In general terms, GMOs are not a solution for Africa. The major problems that agriculture faces in our countries include incompetent water management, low soil fertility in many regions, lack of access to the means of production, in particular around issues related to land, lack of access to loans at acceptable interest rates, and the processing of our raw materials on our own continent.
"Faced with these problems, there are a number of solutions other than GMOs, solutions that are scientifically controllable, economically profitable and socially sustainable."
COPAGEN and JINKUN urged the region's leaders not to accept Bt cotton, saying it would "open the door to the introduction of all genetically modified seeds in agriculture and food".
It has also been suggested that GM seeds would not be sustainable in Africa since farmers would need to purchase seeds on an annual basis from suppliers, as to avoid contamination these seeds generally produced seedless plants.