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Kenya Passes Bio-Safety Bill Aided by USGC Efforts |
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 U.S. producers of genetically enhanced corn may soon see their products in the Kenyan market as Kenya recently passed a bio-safety bill permitting importation and cultivation of biotech crops and products.
The bill, which is expected to be signed by Kenya's President Mwai Kibaki before Jan. 1, 2009, follows years of U.S. Grains Council programming aimed at promoting biotechnology in the region. According to Kurt Shultz, USGC director in the Mediterranean and Africa, the Council's work in the region continues to be felt today, as evidenced by the new bill. "The passage of this bill is a direct result of past Council efforts in the region. It also shows that pro-biotech forces in Africa have won a significant battle in the biotechnology debate," he said. During its time in operation, the Council's Southern Africa Biotechnology Test Plot Program had more than 600 small scale South African farmers and 94 extension agents participate in field days at one of the Council's ten demonstration sites. The program also attracted the attention of several prominent visitors. According to Shultz, in May 2006, a high-level delegation from Kenya, Malawi and South Africa consisting of Members of Parliament from each country, visited Council-sponsored biotechnology test plots in South Africa. "The timing was significant in that Kenya and Malawi were debating bills to adopt the commercial cultivation of biotechnology," he said. "The positive impact and practical benefits the Members of Parliament saw at the USGC-sponsored test plots convinced them that Kenyan and Malawian farmers could benefit immensely from the technology if its products were made available to them. As a result, the Members of Parliament resolved to fast-track the introduction of the technology into their respective countries." With the passage of the Bio-Safety Bill into law, Kenyan farmers will be able to use cultivated seeds to increase agricultural production and productivity. The law will also provide opportunities for Kenya to import genetically enhanced products such as corn to address food security concerns, a USDA Foreign Agricultural Service GAIN report stated. "Our activities in Africa are a good example of how Council programs on biotechnology can pay off in the long run," said Rebecca Fecitt, USGC director of biotechnology programs. "With an issue like biotechnology, we sometimes don't see the returns until a few years down the road, but the results can be far-reaching. I'm very pleased to see that things worked out so well in Kenya, a country that has emerged as a leader in biotechnology in east Africa."
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