Sammy Cheboi
28 September 2008
Nairobi — Kenya is set to adopt the controversial biotechnology as a means of boosting food production, Agriculture minister William Ruto has said.
This is despite opposition from some stakeholders who have raised their concerns of safety of genetically modified foods.
Biotechnology is good agricultural production and those opposed to it are either acting out of misinformation or selfish interests, the minister added.
"There are no miracles. If we have to produce more, we must embrace the technology. As a country, we have the option of adopting it to fight hunger or rejecting it and perishing," Mr Ruto cautioned.
He spoke during the official launch of National Biotechnology Awareness strategy for 2008-2012 at the Kenyatta International Conference Centre. Genetically modified (GM) foods are products that have had their DNA directly altered through genetic engineering.
Unlike conventional genetic modification that is carried out through time-tested breeding and whose food has been consumed for thousands of years, GM foods were first put on the market in the early 1990s.
Mr Ruto challenged multinational companies opposed to the adoption of the technology to provide alternative methods of increasing food production. He said it was unfortunate that fierce opponents of genetic modification were themselves beneficiaries of the same.
"Biotechnology is the way to go if we are to confront its opponents. It is time we set our country free from superstitions and myths on any new developments," he said.
And he posed; "we are pursuing disease resistant, early maturing and high yielding crop varieties. What other options are multinationals offering the country?"
He said the country's need for more and cheap food that is safe to the people and the environment must not be hijacked by parties with vested interests.
Controversies surrounding genetically engineered crops and foods commonly focus on the long-term health effects for consumers, environmental safety, labelling and consumer choice, intellectual property rights, ethics, food security, poverty reduction and potential disruption or even possible destruction of the food chain.
The strategy is in response to Cabinet approval of the National Biotechnology Development Policy which aims at raising awareness and understanding for informed decision making.
Mr Ruto said the Ministry of Higher Education, Science and Technology had prepared a Biosafety Bill to be tabled in Parliament to regulate, guide safe use and transfer as well as commercialise biotechnology in the country.
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