The government has allocated R182-million to biotechnology research and development
Congress Mahlangu
After more than 20 years of debate and consultation, South Africa has come up with a draft policy on genetically modified (GM)food and products.
Published a month ago, the draft-strategy document states that biotechnology will improve access to and affordability of health care, provide sufficient nutrition at affordable costs, create jobs in manufacturing, and protect and enrich the environment.
As early as 1978 a committee of scientists took the initiative to establish an organisation, known as South African Genetic Experimentation, which would act as a watchdog and advisory body to scientists, industry and the government. It developed a set of bio-safety guidelines that have been applied to all GM products and trials since 1990.
The use of modern biotechnology includes commercial virus elimination and plant production through tissue culture of date palms, bananas, soy beans, dry beans and others. In animals it includes artificial insemination, embryo transfer, human organ transplant, in vitro fertilisation and embryo culture, and vaccine production for animal and human health.
Project manager of the South African National Seed Organisation Dr Wynand van der Walt says although South Africa has a solid history of engagement with traditional biotechnology, it has failed to extract value from more recent advances, particularly over the past 25 years with the emergence of genetics and genomic sciences.
He says the development of biotechnology should not be restricted to developed countries. “Developing countries such as Cuba, Brazil and China have been quick to identify potential benefits of the technology and have established measures to develop such industries and extract value where possible and relevant.”
South Africa was active in the development of the International Convention on Biological Diversity, and the Cartagena Bio-safety Protocol.
The draft strategy provides for the mandatory labelling of GM food and products, including specifications with regard to the composition, mode of storage, levels of allergens and toxins, and guidelines regarding human or animal genes.
The draft strategy has the support of the Department of Agriculture. Dr Shadrack Moephuli, the department’s director of genetic resources, says the introduction of GM seed has the potential to generate employment. Other areas that stand to benefit include stock theft as new techniques for the identification of animals can be developed using biotechnology.
However, he raised a few concerns about the way in which the GM products would be monitored and regulated. “What remains contentious to me is to what extent poor people in rural areas, as well as consumers, would benefit from the whole process. We need a debate about pollution, cross-pollination, biotechnology, and invasive species.”
Dr Chris Viljoen, senior lecturer at the University of the Free State’s botany and genetics department, calls for a cautious approach in the regulation of GM foods and products. “Identity preservation, or the ability to distinguish GM varieties is a prerequisite to manage GM plant use in African agriculture. This would avoid a situation where farmers have to pay the patent holder its rightful royalty.”
Viljoen says his department, in collaboration with overseas institutions, is using deoxyribo-nuclei acid technology to detect the presence of GM organisms in highly processed food constituents such as starches, oils and syrups. “The service was established to accommodate growing consumer discernment and to meet international export regulations.”
Scientists often advocate that modern biotechnology can solve the world’s food shortage problem. Viljoen disagrees: “In reality there isn’t a food shortage in the world, rather there is a problem of food distribution. If the developing countries are unable to buy food from developed countries because it is too expensive, how will they able to buy GM seed? The government should be in the position to subsidise emerging farmers so that they can cope with the new biotechnology needs.”
Viljoen says the danger lies in Africa becoming an unwilling dumping ground for consignments of rejected GM products.
Jerry Sefoloshe, chairperson of the Letelle Farmers’ Union in Groblersdal, Mpumalanga, says although biotechnology can play a role in modernising farming techniques, it should not be prescribed by Europe and North America.
The draft national strategy says South Africa should “assess our biotechnology programmes within the framework of the Constitution, which ensures our rights to safety, to choice and to information establish suitable regulatory systems for export-import trade in biotechnology products and to increase the level of public awareness and acceptance of these products”.
The government is allocating R45-million as part of the overall strategy on biotechnology, and an additional R182-million on biotechnology research and development. There are about 600 biotechnology research projects in South Africa in the fields of agriculture, food, veterinary science, the environment and chemistry.
ENDS