Browsing: GMO

According to activists Greenpeace, Bayer, the company that bought Monsanto in South Africa is still distributing the weed killer, glyphosate which may cause cancer. Photo/NBC

Profit or health: Africa courting danger opening up market for GMOs

Countries

In 2020, the Center for Food Safety (CFS) in the US won a major legal battle against just such herbicides and pesticides right along with GMO crops.

The win did not come easy. It was the result of years of litigation against Monsanto’s toxic pesticide, in this case, called dicamba, before a federal court issued the ruling. The win was a double-edged sword in that it banned the pesticide and it also banned the use of GMO crops that were designed to withstand the effects of the said pesticide.

In the ruling, the US Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals ordered that EPA’s approval of the pesticide in question be revoked with immediate effect and application also stopped. The reason farmers took the GMOs and the related pesticides to court in the first place is the same reason the South African activists are decrying the sale of the weed killer there; …

Will Kenya-Tanzania trade relations hold after GMO approval? 

Industry and Trade

It is important to take a clear view of the past to understand the complexities of the future. In this case, the trade relations issues of the past between Kenya and Tanzania showcase how these nations have much work to do.

In June 2022, Kenya pointed out that its trading partner—Tanzania doubled the cost of export permits by almost 93 per cent, which could spark another set of disputes with the Kenyan government.

This scenario impacted trucks transiting into Kenya with precious and expensive cargo—amid the new requirement demand. Hundreds of trucks were left stranded at the border.

In 2020, Tanzania brought another set of issues, arguing that its trade partner Kenya used zero-rated industrial sugar imports to produce various products. Hence, concerning this, Tanzania imposed a 25 per cent import duty on Kenyan confectionery, including chocolate, chewing gums, sweets, ice cream and juice.…

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African agriculture needs technological transformation

Industry and Trade
  • Agriculture is contributes 23 percent of African GDP, Mckinsey 2019
  • At least 43.8 percent of people are employed in the agriculture sector
  • Only 5-6 percent of arable land in Africa is irrigated

Agriculture in Africa has not only an economic value but a cultural significance.  It is time to transform the economy and lives of African farmers. Africa is home to nearly 60 percent of the world’s arable land. Over the past decade, African agriculture has faced a number of shocks which beg for technological transformation. Farming in Africa contributes greatly to the welfare of most rural-based populations.

Despite the standing potential, productivity in Africa is lagging; hence, the role of modern technology stands to draw billions into it.Africa imports some food items abroad, such as wheat from war-entangled nations Ukraine and Russia, causing severe food insecurity issues for financially constrained nations such as Sudan.

Agriculture is not only the…

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Africa’s distaste for hybrids

Agribusiness

No continent suffers worse food security issues than Africa, yet despite the high productivity coupled with disease and drought resistant capabilities of genetic modified organisms (GMOs), Africa has long been resistant to genetically modified food, be they crop or animal embryos.

While the average beef cattle in Africa, say the local Zebu weighs an average weight of a mere 250kg market weight, hybrid beef cattle like the Aryshire, weighs an average of 400kg, almost double the local African breed.

Instead of settling for 1 to 3 litres of milk per day from your local Zebu, you could get in excess of 10 litres of milk everyday from a hybrid Fresian, almost four times more milk.

Not only does the Aryshire beef bull and the Fresian cow produce more, they grow faster and when crossbred, they are even resistant to disease and bad weather. So why would food troubled Africa resist …