Monsanto trials of GE cotton start in Burkina Faso

Burkina Faso has become the first West African country to hold trials of genetically engineered (GE) cotton. The trials started in late June, and will test the viability, yield and environmental risks of Bollgard II, Monsanto’s second generation of insect-resistant (Bt) cotton.
    Celestin Tiendrebeogo, manager of Burkina Faso’s state cotton firm, Sofitex, said: ‘If we are able to increase the yield per hectare by only 50 percent, that would be a way to reduce poverty.’(1) Critics of Bt cotton point out the problems of potential resistance to Bt and adverse environmental impacts. In addition, the costly packages of new technology are unsustainable for resource-poor farmers. The Farmer Field Schools taking place in West Africa (see p11) are already raising yields and lowering input costs, while promoting capacity-building for farmer decision making.
    The trials are being held before many safeguards are in place. At a recent summit of African heads of state in Mozambique, governments called for an African strategy on biotechnology and biosafety. The Secretariat of the New Partnership for Africa’s Development (NEPAD) has agreed to establish a panel to address these concerns(2).

1. Trials of GM cotton to begin in West Africa amid hopes of increased yields www.monsantoafrica.com
2. Kahn, T, African biotech advisory panel in the pipeline, 24 July 2003, www.scidev.net/News

[This article first appeared in Pesticides News No. 61, September 2003, page 19]