Farmers in Embu urge Uhuru to lift ban on GM crops to enable them plant Bt cotton

Cotton farmers in the Embu County have petitioned President Uhuru Kenyatta to lift a ban on genetically modified crops in order to boost yields.

The farmers, mainly from Mbeere where the crop once used to thrive, said the industry faces an imminent collapse unless they access the Bt cotton variety that can withstand pest attack and does not require spraying.

Bt cotton is genetically modified by inserting one or more genes from a common soil bacterium known as Bacillus thuringiensis.

The farmers who attended a stakeholder’s forum on biotechnology at Siakago market on Thursday said the once lucrative venture now faces an imminent collapse unless the head of State intervenes.

Ms Nancy Wangechi said they are eager to experiment on Bt cotton which she said will lower the cost of production since it is resistant to pest attacks and diseases.

Bt cotton naturally produces chemicals harmful to selective insects, most notably the larvae of bollworms.

COTTON PRODUCTION DOWN

“We urge the government to lift the ban on GM seeds so that we can plant cotton that will require less sprays and produce quality yields.

“We are experiencing low returns as the conventional seeds are expensive to maintain, prone to pest attacks and yield low,” she complained.

The forum heard that cotton production has declined to less than 20,000 bales, compared to over 70,000 bales produced in 1985 when the sector was thriving.

Mr Kennedy Oyugi of African Biotechnology Stakeholders Forum said the government has an obligation to give Kenyan farmers a chance to try biotechnology, which he noted is already working in other countries.

He said the existing ban on GMOs has prevented farmers from competing at par with their counterparts in other countries.

STRINGENT TRIALS FOR GMOS

“The GM crops take up to 20 years to develop and are put under stringent trials for safety of consumers. They require less sprays hence [there is] less pollution to the environment and [they] consume less water,” said Mr Oyugi.

Ms Wangechi said cotton farming which had for long been their economic mainstay in the largely semi-arid region, has collapsed owing to the high cost of production, leaving them poor.

She said many farmers are ready to plant Bt cotton seeds and revive the collapsed ginneries to uplift themselves economically.

The farmers want trials on the GM crops done on their farms so that they can choose whether to adopt the new technologies or retain the conventional ones.

Kenya Agricultural and Livestock Research Organisation (Kalro) has already assured of the safety of GM technology, but its approval is yet to be ratified by the National Biosafety Authority, which was tasked to find out if GM products pose risks to consumers.