Pretoria, South Africa
July 7, 2008
The press regularly report on new
agricultural technology aimed at either commercial farmers or
smallholder farmers in rural areas of South Africa.
The Agricultural Research
Council (ARC) has developed new potato varieties with food
production, storage and environmental benefits that can be added
to their potato breeding programme and made available to both
smallholder and commercial farmers once they are approved. The
research partnership is financially supported by USAID.
The ARC will apply to national authorities for a safety
assessment and general release approval of their SpuntaG2
potato, which is resistant against potato tuber moth damage in
the field and in storage. This approval will enable the ARC to
initiate farmer participatory trials under unconfined conditions
and develop a certification and labelling system to prepare for
commercial release of improved potato varieties
This is the first publicly funded genetically modified (GM) crop
to enter the safety approval process for general use in South
Africa. Approved cotton, maize and soybean events are produced
by seed companies.
The SpuntaG2 potato provides farmers with an alternative to
chemical pesticide use for the control of potato tuber moth.
This can reduce costs and be healthier for people and the
environment.
Potato tuber moths lay eggs on the plant surface and their
larvae burrow into the potatoes causing considerable damage.
Potatoes saved by farmers for food or planting, are particularly
affected. They can lose some of their crop in the field and all
of their stored potatoes as a result of the moths.
SpuntaG2 has shown complete protection against tuber moth during
six years of testing in six major potato growing areas of South
Africa. These studies were carried out with permission from
national regulators and included measures to control pollen and
potatoes at the trial sites. Environmental studies showed that
SpuntaG2 controls the potato tuber moth without affecting other
organisms.
Studies show that the potatoes are as safe to grow and eat as
other potatoes. When this has been reconfirmed and approved by
South African authorities under the GMO Act, the ARC will enable
smallholder farmers to test the potatoes in their fields.
If the regulators and smallholder farmers are satisfied with
SpuntaG2, the ARC will transfer potato tuber moth resistance to
other preferred varieties.
The ARC will add SpuntaG2 to its breeding programme, but does
not plan to release SpuntaG2 for commercial farming unless these
farmers specifically request the material. Other commercial
varieties will take three to four years to develop.
Applicant: Dr. Kobie de Ronde, ARC- VOPI, Private Bag X293,
Pretoria, 0001. Tel: 012 841 9611; E-mail:
KdeRonde@arc.agric.za,
gbothma@arc.agric.za
Regulatory agency: The Registrar: Genetically Modified
Organisms, Private Bag X973, Pretoria, 0001. Fax: 012 319 6329.
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Concerns on the release of GM potato cultivar in
South Africa |
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Source:
Potatoes South
Africa via
CropBiotech Update
The impending release
of the genetically-modified (GM) potato that has
resistance to potato tuber moth, has triggered
series of concerns among the consumers of South
Africa. Potatoes South Africa supports biotechnology
and the advantages of the GM potato for the potato
industry. However, the group requests that the
following concerns be finalized before the GM
cultivar is approved for commercialization:
- Mandatory
labelling of any GM potatoes to afford the
consumer the choice to purchase GM or non GM
potatoes.
- The
development of a testing system for the reliable
tracing of GM potatoes in order to make
traceability and identification thereof
possible.
- Obtaining the
opinion of the consumers, taking into account
the opinion of the retail, processing and the
fast food industries.
- The impact of
the general release of a GM cultivar on the
potato export market should be determined before
proceeding with the process.
- A
communication plan must be launched to enable
the consumers to make an informed choice on the
consumption of GM potatoes.
For details of the
media release, contact:
Dr Ben
Pieterse of Potatoes South Africa
For information on biotechnology in South Africa
contact
Wynand van der Walt |
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