By Rene Anthere Rwanyange
Many nations in the Sub-Saharan Africa and across the globe currently find themselves between a hard place and a rock, especially those in the developing world as to whether they approve and legalize the use and importation of Genetically Modified Organisms (GMOs).
Scientists say that there are many benefits of using GMOs as GMO crops contain more nutrients along being grown with fewer pesticides, and are usually cheaper than their non-GMO counterparts, and a more resilient to climate change.
However, the opponents of GMOs contend that GMO foods may cause allergic reactions because of their altered DNA and they may increase antibiotic resistance.
The situation has triggered mounting fears among manufacturers of pesticides and fertilizers as GMOs are a cheaper substitute.
Impeccable sources that spoke to this reporter on anonymous conditions said that Rwanda is more likely to pass the GMO bill next month as application of GMOs is widely welcomed as a remedy to the limited food production blamed on limited cultivatable land and natural calamities including floods, landslides and prolonged droughts.
“Kindly, don’t quote me on this, but considering all factors surrounding food insecurity I predict that the National Assembly will pass the GMO bill next month as soon as the government tables this bill,” said a lecturer at the University of Rwanda.
If Rwanda approves the GMO bill, it will the second East African Community (EAC) nation to adopt a GMO law after Kenya.
Last October, Kenya approved Genetically Modified Organisms (GMOs) and lifted a 10-year old ban on the technology. This move followed low food production particularly of maize hugely blamed on long droughts that hit the biggest economy in the EAC.
And, analysts predict a significant boost in crop production alongside augmenting the livelihoods of thousands across value chains.
“Cabinet vacated its earlier decision of 8th November, 2012 prohibiting the open cultivation of genetically modified crops and the importation of food crops, and animal feeds produced through biotechnology innovations, effectively lifting the ban on Genetically Modified crops,” reads the statement in part issued by the Cabinet meeting convened to assess the progress made in the response to an ongoing drought in the country.
Twenty-three of the country’s 47 counties faced the worst drought in 40 years in the Horn of Africa, which affected at least 3.1 million Kenyans.
Similar factors seem to be favouring the approval of the GMO in Rwanda. Rwanda has for decades been prone to droughts and they have grossly affected food production.
According to the statement Rwanda released recently, the arrival of GMOs will boost the productions of common food crops like maize, irish potatoes, beans and cassava.
The Government of Rwanda announced that in the future Rwanda may start farming using technology known as GMO in order to increase production so that the country can be more self-sufficient in food.
Genetically Modified Organisms or GMOs in short, is a Bio-technology that uses the method of changing plant cells in order to increase production.
It is a method that has not yet been used in Rwanda. The Minister of Agriculture and Livestock, Dr. Ildephonse Musafiri says that in the future this method will be used because it provides a solution to the food problem.
“The land is not growing and the climate is changing and the population is increasing. I believe that GMO would be the solution because these GMO Crops or Organisms are a way to grow, more and on a smaller surface. If it worked elsewhere, in developed countries it worked, why in Rwanda does not work? That is to say, there is a biosafety law, that law is the one that has now been discussed and is waiting to go to the cabinet. A bill like this month can go to the cabinet and be approved and then go to the assembly. The day the bill was issued, it will not be more than two months before it ends and we will go in that program and so on. There are things that we have started like doing research but it will go out only when the law is issued to determine it, but what we have in the laboratory is promising; the difference will give,” Dr. Ildephonse Musafiri says.
Despite this, there are still debates and concerns about GMOs, which is why Mr. Arsène Ntazinda, the representative of the milk powder factory in Inyange Industries, says that they do not accept the milk of cows that have been fed animal feed containing GMOs.
“The milk we produce is the milk we will sell on the international market and many international markets do not accept GMOs. So when you feed animals GMO Foods [animal food] is still visible in the dried milk. So where we sell milk they ask us to give them a GMO Free Certificate, which means we also have to provide non-GMO milk,” Mr. Ntazinda says.
The debate on GMOs continues especially in African countries, only the African Association for the Development of Agriculture, AGRA, does not dare to say whether it is against or in favor of GMOs.
The Director of AGRAA to Rwanda, Mr. Jean Paul Ndagijimana, says that research will provide the answer.
“Until now, AGRAA does not openly support GMOs, but we have made some progress. Let me give you an example of corn: Previously, the corn seed we used to grow was called OPV, a non-modern seed. In the past 5 years, Rwandans have become familiar with hybrids, where A Rwandan used to wash 1.5 tons per Ha, now he washes 6.6 Tons per Ha and research shows that there are no negative effects on the body, there is no problem if you use modern seeds. As the world is moving, innovation, technology is progressing. There are people who are fast and go first, there are countries have already accepted it like Kenya and others, but there are those who are careful and say let’s first see if it has no effect on people’s lives,” Mr. Jean Paul Ndagijimana says.
Proponents of GMOs claim that it is the answer to the problem of hunger, while opponents say that foods containing GMOs can have harmful effects on health.
Only the health authorities in Rwanda are worried because they are closely monitoring everything, according to the secretary of state in the Ministry of Health, Dr. Yvan Butera explains it.
“GMOs is safe, it is effective, there are no problems, not only in Rwanda, and elsewhere. It does not mean that it is only no or only yes, but you must first look at its benefits, and measure whether there are any problems, no other side effects, then we take it, that’s the principle [by principle and that’s how we will approach it]. When we see that there are no negative effects but it will increase production, it will be evident that there is a problem that will be solved but the safety and life of the citizen is not a problem; then Rwanda will follow it without any problem,” Dr. Yvan Butera says.
Meanwhile, from this Monday, the Ministry of Agriculture and Livestock conducts a 2-day consultative meeting with all partners in the development of agriculture and livestock.
Rwanda Food Systems Partner Dialogue and Workshop, is a dialogue expected to improve and speed up the interaction of partners in this field as included in the national goals and those of the United Nations, where agriculture should be done in an integrated way that creates climate and respond to the problems of hunger, malnutrition, unemployment etc.
