The GMO debate is on
I believe you have heard and read about the ongoing debate on GMO foods in the media.
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The term GMO is the acronym (abbreviation ) for genetically modified organisms. It refers to any micro-organism, plant or animal in which genetic engineering techniques have been used to introduce, remove or change specific parts of its genes.
It allows selected individual genes to be transferred from one organism into another and also between non-related species.
The technology is used to modify plants for pest resistance, higher yield, nutrition, among others. For example, a gene from an animal can be taken and introduced into a plant, to get a particular nutrient for human to consume.
There has been a lot of controversies surrounding the introduction of these food onto the Ghanaian market. This is because some people believe that these genetically produced foods can cause health problems in humans when eaten.
Those supporting this argument believe that GM foods could cause cancers, fibroids, etc.
However, some experts say there are no health risks associated with the consumption of such foods.
In view of this, the Graphic Communications Group Limited, in collaboration with the Centre for Indigenous Knowledge and Organisational Development (CIKOD), organised a day’s seminar for journalists, to bring those issues to the fore and also sensitise them so that they could become well informed in reporting issues on it.
The Executive Director of the CIKOD, Mr Bernard Guri, in his presentation, said those in support of the GM foods claimed that its application would provide sufficient food to feed the world and that GM foods were safe for humans and the environment.
He said findings by some international bodies on GMOs showed no evidence of sustained or reliable increase in yield over the 12-year period since the first commercial release. “It shows no sustained reduction in costs nor profits to farmers, no evidence of reduction in pesticide use among others.”
Mr Guri noted that studies conducted by other scientists showed that organic agriculture could be more beneficial to food security in Africa than most unconventional production systems and it was more likely to be sustainable in the long term.
He blamed the country’s low food production on lack of policy support, storage facilities, motivation for the youth to take up farming for a living, access to market and education among others.
For his part, a former Director-General of the Councils for Scientific and Industrial Research (CSIR), Prof. Walter Alhasan Sundow, argued that GM foods that had carefully gone through required safety testing procedures were safer than the conventional ones.
He indicated that GM crops had the potential of producing nitrogen efficient and drought and pest-resistant crops which were of better quality.
Currently, CSIR is undertaking confined field trials of GM cotton, rice and cowpea.
With regards to the Plant Breeders Bill, which is currently before Parliament, if passed into law, it would enable seed growers in the country to produce seeds for GM crops in Ghana and how they would be protected under the law.
Meanwhile, some civil society groups have demonstrated against its introduction.
They called on the government not to give in to pressures to hastily adopt GMOs since countries which had adopted it were now backtracking.
They also called on parliamentarians to thoroughly discuss and deliberate on the Plant Breeders’ Bill before passing it into law.
