GENETICALLY MODIFIED CROPS
WANDILE SIHLOBO: Institutional issues are the main bugbear in genetically modified foods
"The low adoption of GM crops in Africa is largely due to institutional problems, rather than the belief that they pose health risks"
It takes Kenyans almost two months to transport maize from Mexico to their shores and just two weeks from SA, yet their preferred origin is Mexico, despite our distance advantage. At first glance, one might think the Kenyans’ preference is driven by price competitiveness. However, the issue goes deeper than that: it is a scientific one, not economic reasoning. Kenya has banned the importation and growing of genetically modified (GM) maize, which disadvantages SA since 85% of its maize is GM. Mexico has an advantage as it produces maize that is not genetically modified. Kenya, like many other African countries, is still sceptical about the health risks associated with GM crops. However, SA and Burkina Faso have been planting GM crops for more than a decade without any sign of health issues. There are, however, socioeconomic benefits. A study published in the National Bureau of Economics Research shows that the adoption of GM maize has led to a 17% increase in yields across the globe ...
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