Kenya is poised to roll out more genetically modified (GM) crops, but ongoing court cases are delaying the process, according to a senior National Biosafety Authority official.
Chief executive Roy Mugiira revealed that the authority has approved the environmental release of Bt Maize, which is resistant to maize stem borer pests, and genetically modified cassava, which is resistant to the Cassava Brown Streak Virus.
“Both crops are in the final stages of variety evaluation before commercialisation,” he disclosed at the 12th annual national biosafety conference in Naivasha.
The four-day conference, themed “Modern Biotechnologies and Biosafety in the Bottom-Up Economic Transformation Agenda,” serves as a national platform for promoting public awareness and education on the role of modern biotechnology and biosafety.
Modified maize
Mugira said genetically modified maize and cassava have gone through all the required tests and are ready to be released to farmers, adding that the only step remaining is the registration of these varieties, after which they will be made available to farmers.
A GM crop contains genetic material that is not naturally found in the plant, to better protect against disease for example. While farmers have widely adopted them in some countries like the United States, critics say their safety for human health and the environment is unproven.
