BUSIA, Kenya – The National Biosafety Authority has assured cotton farmers in the country of their technical support to revive the ailing sectors.
The Authority’s board members and management, led by Hussein Mohamed, said the cotton sector has a lot of potential, and therefore, the support will enable more farmers to embrace and cultivate the crop that had been ignored in the past due to poor returns.
Hussein said the farmers should count on government support to revive the sector, saying the market for the product is already available.
The Authority has already approved the commercialisation of Bt Cotton, which has been in cultivation since 2020, and no adverse effects have been noted or reported through the monitoring and surveillance system.
The Bt Cotton is already being grown in Homa Bay, Siaya, Busia, Baringo, Kisumu, Embu, Kwale, Meru, Kitui, Kirinyaga, Tharaka Nithi, Machakos, Makueni, Marakwet, and Taita Taveta, among others.
This week, the team visited Mulwanda Cotton Ginnery in Busia County and Bt Cotton farmers in Siaya, who explained how they have made progress in farming.
What the large-scale cotton farmers are advocating for
However, Zedekiah Adul, a farmer at Madiany in Uyoma Siaya County, a renowned farmer in the area, called on the government to provide more resources, especially seeds and fertiliser, to farmers who have embraced cotton farming in the country.
“We have farmers who are willing to adopt cotton farming, but they lack the capacity due to limited resources,” lamented Adul.
He said that the adoption of Bt Cotton production for one acre has increased from 700kg to 1400kgs.
The Authority’s Director of Technical Service, Josphat Muchiri, underscored the critical role being played by the agency in assuring and ensuring the safe development, transfer, handling, and use of genetically modified organisms (GMOs) to protect human and animal health as well as the environment from possible adverse effects of GMOs.
“Confined field trials (CFT) are part of the GMO development phase that enable researchers to collect additional safety data that cannot be generated at the lab or greenhouse levels. They are small-scale, controlled, and monitored field experiments that are vital for evaluating specific genetically engineered traits, agronomic performance, potential environmental impact, and safety of GMOs,” said Muchiri.
NBA acting Chief Executive Officer Nehemiah Ngetich revealed that the Authority will step up a public awareness campaign for Kenyans to appreciate its mandate.
“As an Authority, we are up to the task in regulating GMOs in Kenya,” assured Ngetich, noting that misinformation had led to poor uptake of modern biotechnology.
How the National Biosafety Authority (NBA) operates
The Authority, which is a state corporation established under the Biosafety Act, Cap 320 of the Laws of Kenya, is mandated to exercise general supervision and control over the transfer, handling, and use of Genetically Modified Organisms (GMOs) to ensure the safety of human and animal health and the provision of adequate protection of the environment.
The Authority has the mandate to facilitate approvals of safe biotech crops and animal breeds that are resistant to pests and diseases, leading to increased food production.
Kenya has a well-established legal, regulatory, and institutional framework that provides for streamlined processes for persons dealing in GMOs and their derived products in the country.
The East African nation is a member of the international community and is a signatory to the Cartagena Protocol on Biosafety, which is a multilateral environmental agreement whose objective is to ensure an adequate level of protection in the safe transfer, handling, and use of GMOs.
At the national level, Kenya approved the National Biotechnology Development Policy in 2006, enacted the Biosafety Act in 2009, and has so far published four Biosafety Regulations.
They include the Biosafety (Contained Use) Regulations, 2011; the Biosafety (Environmental Release) Regulations, 2011; the Biosafety (Import, Export, and Transit) Regulations, 2011; and the Biosafety (Labelling) Regulations, 2012.
