Cairo, Egypt
July 15, 2009
USDA/FAS GAIN report EG 9012
Report highlights
Although Egypt has planted
GM corn and cotton in several regions throughout the country
to conduct field trails, the situation of biotechnology in
Egypt is rather complex in that stalled progress on
commercial planting approval for Mon 810 results from
bureaucratic territoriality, lack of institutional
development, mistakes on the commercial side, the
Parliament’s involvement, in addition to some political
issues.
Executive summary
Egypt consumes large
quantities of biotech products such as corn and soybeans.
Although it has not produced any commercial biotechnology
crops, Egypt leads the Middle East and North Africa region
in the development and acceptance of agricultural
biotechnology. The Ministry of Agriculture is a strong
supporter of biotechnology. Egypt is a large consumer of
agricultural products (such as corn, soybeans, soy meal, and
vegetable oils) derived through modern biotechnology and
imported from the United States and Argentina. The
government continues to maintain a general import policy
that allows imports so long as the product imported is also
consumed in the countries of origin.
The Agricultural Genetic Engineering Research Institute
(AGERI) has developed a number of GM products for
commercialization by working with leading biotechnology
companies and universities in the United States, but still
need to resolve some issues to commercialize potatoes and
squash; including IPR issues and conducting risk assessment
and food biosafety analysis. GMO products that AGERI has
considered in research are: tuber moth and fungal -resistant
potatoes, virus-resistant squash, sugar cane, figs, and
tomatoes, corn borer-resistant, drought resistant, fungal
resistant maize, and drought-tolerant rice and wheat.
However, through collaboration with Monsanto, Cotton
Research Institute (CRI) has developed an insect-resistant
long-staple GM cotton strain, which is considered the crop
#1 for commercialization.
Despite the relatively
advanced research and development, Egypt has made in
agricultural biotechnology, public awareness about
biotechnology is very limited and often either misconceived
or misunderstood. Egyptian government leaders recognize the
importance of biotechnology as a tool for national and
global development and have set excellence in biotechnology
and genetic engineering as a national goal.
In 2008, U.S. has concluded a comprehensive program to help
Egypt to establish a competent authority and to set a system
for practical biotechnology applications.
Full report:
http://gain.fas.usda.gov/Recent%20GAIN%20Publications/Biotechnology_Cairo_Egypt_7-15-2009.pdf
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