Kenya protests block GM maize shipment in Mombasa / Tanzania ipo njiani Kuotesha GM

[Babylon]

Kenya protests block GM maize shipment in Mombasa

Some argue GM maize would help alleviate food shortages in Africa

A shipment of genetically modified (GM) maize has been blocked at the Kenyan port of Mombasa after protests by environmentalists.
The cargo came from South Africa - whose maize exports mainly go to Kenya - and contained maize varieties developed by US multinational Monsanto.
Protestors claimed that safety checks had not been carried out on the maize and that it could contaminate the soil.
GM imports have been banned in several African countries.
The 40,000-tonne shipment contained four varieties of maize, three of which were made by Monsanto.
Anne Maina, a spokeswoman for the Kenyan Biodiversity Coalition, told the BBC that the Kenyan government had not followed due process by carrying out safety checks on the imported maize.
The group also claimed Kenyan authorities had failed to tell the public of its decision to import the GM maize.
The shipment came from South Africa, the continent's biggest producer of maize, and was approved by that country's Department of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries.
Mariam Mayet, an activist at the South African-based African Centre for Biosafety, criticised her government's policy.
"The way it is, one is inclined to say that South Africa was a springboard to contaminate the rest of the African continent by allowing multinationals to export from South African soil," she told South Africa's Business Report newspaper.
Many African countries are under increasing pressure to grow GM crops to tackle hunger and malnutrition, and drought in recent years has caused food shortages in Kenya.

 

[Suki]

It had to be the Kenyans.

Nakumbuka kwenye world economic forum kama sikosei,Rais wetu alisema, ''Let the world have a goal of looking at Africa as the place or the continent that can feed the world.'' He goes on to call for availability of technology to farmers in Africa so as to improve their agricultural productivity. He does not,however call to attention the infrastructural challenge prevailing in most of the agricultural areas in the continent nor does he mention the need for a system that will ensure support to the farmers in obtaining the knowledge required in handling the technology.

Na Keenja nae ambaye back in 2005 alisema, "We are currently working on rules and regulations which will govern the introduction of genetically modified technology into the country." Never brought the issue into discussion by key players in the matter, not government officials and agricultural expert from Sokoine University,NO.Farmers in the respective areas.

Lastly,there have been several biosafe training courses take for instance one held in UDSM in 2007 and attended by nine BiosafeTrain-supported MSc and PhD students. Never has the government taken interest in involving farmers and the general population in such training in an effort to spread the knowledge of the technology before implementing it.

How are we supposed to embrace the ''good news'' if we know not what it is good for?

 

[matawi]

Hivi ile menu tuliwahi kuwa tukila inatwa BULUKA si ndiyo hayohayo tu???? maana njaa ikikamata binadamu huwa na nusu akili

 

[Zhule]

Nadhani kwa wenzetu wa ulaya na asia, ardhi ya kutosha, yenye rutuba, hali ya hewa, kwao siku hizi ni ndoto. Idadi ya watu wanaojishughulisha na kilimo ni ndogo sana asilimia kubwa ni viwandani, service providers na biashara na population density inatisha. Kinachofuata ni kulazimisha mimea kuzalisha na kupambana na majanga kuliko uwezo wake wa asili na hapo wanaanza kutumia hizo foreign DNA.kwa Africa, labour force, hali ya hewa, ardhi na genetic resource si tatizo.Wao wameshatumia mbolea, umwagiliaji na dawa za vidudi to the maximum sisi hata robo bado. kwaiyo GMO kwao ni kama haiepukiki . Ingawaje hakuna utafiti uliyothibitisha tayari madhara ya GMO lakini wanasayansi pia hawasiti kudhani kuwepo kwa madhara pengine baadaye.Kwa ardhi ya tanzania kwa mafano research zime-record kuongezeka kwa mazao kwa hadi asilimia 100% kwa kutumia recommended amount ya mbolea. Africa tungeongeza tu matumizi ya mbolea, umwagiliaji, mbegu bora, abiotic and biotic resistance crops just kwa kufanya convectional na molecular breeding. Kwa sasa genetic resources za Africa ambazo hazijaguswa ni kubwa tu wala hatuhitaji foreign DNA bado.inter, sub and distant hybridization zinatotosha kabisa.serikali ingetilia mkazo tu njia hizi na kusita kuanzisha hayo GMOs.Hata China pamoja na population stress bado wanatumia njia hizo. Kuja kwao Africa wanamalengo mawili makubwa Moja ni kuongeza genetic resource zao kwa kuchukua mbegu za mpunga Africa na ku-cross bred na za kwao na pili ni kufungua makampuni ya kuuza High-breed seed. Hilo la KUSAIDIA AFRICA sidhani kama kuna serikali yeyote ya kigeni yenye nia hiyo. GMOs kama njia ya kuongeza uzalisha ingekuwa silaha ya mwisho.

 

[Zhule]

Nadhani kwa wenzetu wa ulaya na asia, ardhi ya kutosha, yenye rutuba, hali ya hewa, kwao siku hizi ni ndoto. Idadi ya watu wanaojishughulisha na kilimo ni ndogo sana asilimia kubwa ni viwandani, service providers na biashara na population density inatisha. Kinachofuata ni kulazimisha mimea kuzalisha na kupambana na majanga kuliko uwezo wake wa asili na hapo wanaanza kutumia hizo foreign DNA.kwa Africa, labour force, hali ya hewa, ardhi na genetic resource si tatizo.Wao wameshatumia mbolea, umwagiliaji na dawa za vidudi to the maximum sisi hata robo bado. kwaiyo GMO kwao ni kama haiepukiki . Ingawaje hakuna utafiti uliyothibitisha tayari madhara ya GMO lakini wanasayansi pia hawasiti kudhani kuwepo kwa madhara pengine baadaye.Kwa ardhi ya tanzania kwa mafano research zime-record kuongezeka kwa mazao kwa hadi asilimia 100% kwa kutumia recommended amount ya mbolea. Africa tungeongeza tu matumizi ya mbolea, umwagiliaji, mbegu bora, abiotic and biotic resistance crops just kwa kufanya convectional na molecular breeding. Kwa sasa genetic resources za Africa ambazo hazijaguswa ni kubwa tu wala hatuhitaji foreign DNA bado.inter, sub and distant hybridization zinatotosha kabisa.serikali ingetilia mkazo tu njia hizi na kusita kuanzisha hayo GMOs.Hata China pamoja na population stress bado wanatumia njia hizo. Kuja kwao Africa wanamalengo mawili makubwa Moja ni kuongeza genetic resource zao kwa kuchukua mbegu za mpunga Africa na ku-cross bred na za kwao na pili ni kufungua makampuni ya kuuza High-breed seed. Hilo la KUSAIDIA AFRICA sidhani kama kuna serikali yeyote ya kigeni yenye nia hiyo. GMOs kama njia ya kuongeza uzalisha ingekuwa silaha ya mwisho