Cairo, Egypt
May 13, 2008
by Wagdy Sawahel,
Sci.DevNet
Egypt has approved the cultivation and commercialisation of a Bt
maize variety, marking the first legal introduction of
genetically modified (GM) crops into the country.
A report last month from the US
Department of Agriculture noted that the Egyptian Ministry
of Agriculture had "approved decisions made by the National
Biosafety Committee and Seed Registration Committee to allow for
commercialisation of a genetically modified Bt corn variety".
The endorsement was based on a series of field trials conducted
between 2002 and 2007 for the variety MON 810, produced by
biotechnology company Monsanto. Bt crops produce a toxin that
guards against pests.
The variety to be distributed, Ajeeb-YG, is a cross between MON
810 and an Egyptian maize variety with resistance to three corn
borer pests, developed by Monsanto scientists in South Africa —
currently the only African country planting GM crops
commercially.
Cairo-based company Fine Seeds International is partnering with
Monsanto to distribute the variety in Egypt.
Ahmad Yaseen, an agricultural engineer at Fine Seeds, says the
seeds will be available this month to farmers in ten Egyptian
governorates.
Yaseen said the seeds will initially be imported from South
Africa, but "starting from next year, Ajeeb-YG will be produced
in Egypt".
Amr Farouk Abdelkhalik, an Egyptian biotechnologist and regional
coordinator of the Agricultural Biotechnology Network in Africa,
says the new variety "points to the potential agronomic and
environmental benefits of Bt maize in Egyptian cropping systems
and accordingly the reduction of the massive use of pesticides".
"We should develop our own GM plants using our genes and
technology to protect small-scale farmers," he added.
Magdi Tawfik Abdelhamid, a plant biotechnologist at the National
Research Centre in Cairo, expressed concerns about the long-term
effects of the crop.
He says research on the issues surrounding GM crops "must be
conducted in Egypt, and an in-depth assessment must be carried
out to examine the impact of GM plants on small-scale farmers".
Egypt currently has no official biosafety legislation, though a
regulatory framework exists. Hisham El-Shishtawy from the
National Biosafety Committee secretariat told SciDev.Net that
the existing framework follows the Cartagena Protocol on
Biosafety and encompasses ministerial decrees regulating the
registration of GM seeds. |
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