Kenya to allow field trials of GM cotton

The Kenyan government has given the green light to field trials of a new genetically engineered cotton variety meant to be pest-resistant and higher yielding than traditional types.

The introduction of the new cotton seed, known as Bollgard II, marks major progress in the introduction of genetically modified (GM) crops in an industry that has been dogged by low production and pest infestation. The National Biosafety Committee (NBC) in conjunction with the Kenya Agricultural Research Institute (Kari) have recommended the introduction of Bollgard II, an enhanced form of an earlier type called Bollgard I that was tested between 2003 and 2005.

Bollgard is made by US-based agriculture technology firm Monsanto. The new variety is expected to save farmers up to 32 per cent in production costs, as it removes the need for pesticides required for conventional cotton farming. According to Kari, farmers can lose up to 100 per cent yields to the destructive African bollworm.

Dr Charles Waturu, a Kenyan scientist behind the research, said NBC approved testing of Bollgard II. The variety is inserted with genes that release chemicals which, Waturu said, "are toxic to key pests including the Africa bollworm, the most important pest of cotton in Kenya." He said said the bollworm can kill an entire crop of cotton if left unchecked. The chemicals are identical to those that have been used for decades in commercial anti-bollworm sprays, but Waturu said that released by the plants themselves, they are more effective.

"The expression of Bt-toxins in cotton plants greatly reduces the need for application of broad-spectrum insecticides, minimising the negative effect of the insecticides on the natural enemies of cotton pests," he said. The crop attracts bollworm enemies such as the cotton stainer, cotton aphid, and cotton red spider mite.

According to Waturu, the main objective of the Bt-cotton project is to establish the efficacy of the Bollgard I and Bollgard II genes on lepidopteran worm pests of cotton. But the trials also aim to look at the impact of the modified plants on non-harmful, beneficial species of plants and insects that environmentalists fear could be negatively affected. Waturu said the research would examine the risk of the Bt-cotton intercrossing with commercial cotton varieties and the real potential for economic advantage versus standard varieties.

He said research into genetically modified (GM) options was spurred by the high costs of traditional cotton growing that had led to poor farming practices, as growers can't access credit or afford the expensive inputs for pest control. Pest control and related activities take up about 32 per cent of farmers' production costs, which makes it an unattractive option for most local growers.

Waturu said the GM cotton could change that. Research into various crops such as maize, cotton and sweet potato has been conducted in the country since 1998, and in 2000 Nairobi was among the first to sign the Cartagena Protocol on Biosafety.

A biosafety draft Bill read in Parliament in 2005 has yet to be made into law. Two years ago, the Agriculture permanent secretary ordered the burning of all Bt Maize fields under trial over fears of contamination.

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