Global Policy Forum

By Brahima Ouedraogo

The impoverished West African nation of Burkina Faso is giving serious consideration to planting genetically modified cotton due to the destruction of nearly half its crop seeds annually by caterpillars resistant to pesticides. The use of transgenic seeds will also boost cotton production. Sixty percent of Burkina Faso's export receipts come from cotton, which is the lifeblood of 2.5 million farmers.

The National Institute of the Environment and Agricultural Research conducted two tests on BT cotton in the east and west of Burkina Faso early this year. Bacillius Thurengiensis (BT), an insecticidal gene, is injected in the cotton to make it resistant to pests.

At a workshop last week, on genetically-modified organisms and genetically-modified cotton, in Bobodioulasso, 360 kilometres west of Ouagadougou, the country's capital, provisional results of the tests were released. And an announcement was made that the use of genetically modified cottonseed was being considered. ''If we have regulatory laws and bio-security to minimise the risks and concerns related to GMOs (genetically modified organisms), we could be looking at the use of genetically modified cotton in Burkina Faso in the near future,'' says Georges Yameogo, director of the state-run cotton firm, the Societe Fibres et Textiles de Burkina (SOFITEX).

Local researchers, who are working with Monsanto, the main developers of GMOs, will soon sign another contracts with the Swiss firm Syngenta, which specialises in GMOs. ''We should not stay in the sidelines of GMO research. Because one day we may be invaded by plants which are smuggled in or be forced to use other people's products,'' says Hamidou Boly, director of the National Institute for Agronomic Research. Boly describes Burkina Faso's decision to conduct research on GMOs as ''courageous and justified''. - ''However'', he warns, ''before any final decision is made we must conduct detailed economic and sociological studies to accompany the scientific studies on how the plants adapt to climactic conditions, the quality of the fibre produced, and the net advantage for producers''.

Mourad Abdennadher, Monsanto's technical director, says the direct benefits of genetically modified cotton include a 30-to-60-percent increase in yields, as well as lesser need for pesticides, which reduces health risks to farmers. ''The water table will also be safe from contamination by toxic substances,'' he explains.

Each year, Burkina Faso imports more than four million litres of pesticides, whose long-term use is considered toxic to the environment, the soil, and human beings. The authorities in Burkina Faso hope to reduce the 30 billion CFA (about 52.6 million U.S. dollars) that are spent each year on crop additives, of which 10 billion CFA (around 17.5 million U.S. dollars) go to insecticides.

Once GM farming is introduced, SOFITEX hopes to reduce the number of times cotton is treated - from eight to two. The SOFITEX hopes that GM cotton will fight pests, especially the helicoverpa armigera caterpillar, which is the main destroyer in countries of the sub-region such as Benin, Senegal, and Mali.

Researchers insist that Burkina Faso, a signatory to the Cartagena Protocol on the Prevention of Biotechnological Risks, will respect safety measures by demanding that the BT gene be transferred only in the local variety of cotton.

Farmers in Burkina Faso are looking to South African farmers who, since 1998, have improved their production by using transgenic BT cotton. The Burkinabe farmers hope to increase their yields by 30 percent. Phenas Gumade, a South African farmer who started using BT cotton in 2000, says his yield increased by 75 percent, and often reaches two metric tonnes per hectare. His use of insecticides has dropped by 40 percent. ''The quality and quantity of the fibre today makes local farmers real entrepreneurs. They employ a workforce and are able to send their children to school,'' he says. In Burkina Faso, the yield per hectare is 1.2 tonnes because of the destruction caused by the caterpillar, and an increase to 1.5 tonnes is regarded possible with the transgenic plants. According to researchers from Monsanto, the yield per hectare could go up 33 to 80 percent when climatic conditions are favourable.

Celestin Tiendrebeogo, the president of SOFITEX, urged the government to move fast before farmers get discouraged and turn to something else. ''In 10, 15 years, we will have no choice but use GMOs given the increasing rate of resistance to pesticides. We can't hold on much longer, because the small farmers may stop growing cotton,'' he warns. ''Cotton is vital for the country today. So we must explore every avenue which offers us the opportunity to boost revenues to the rural population by fighting the pests,'' he adds.

Frederick Perlak, an advisor on farming, says Burkina Faso's example will probably be followed by other West African countries. ''The introduction of technology makes producers more competitive,'' he says. For government officials, the new technologies should create a chain reaction which will not only increase cotton and fibre production, but also cattle fodder and cotton oil. The government intends to clarify patent issues and property rights so that no party involved in the project is left out.

The government says Burkina Faso must not lose out in such transactions. But anti-GMO activists are demanding that the government trod with care. ''It's important to wait and take off time to reflect on the technology since the risks to humans have not yet been fully studied,'' warns Father Jacques Simpore, a member of the Pontifical Academy for Life at the Vatican. ''More research must be done before this technology is widely disseminated,'' he says.

''Our concerns must be listened to, otherwise, we will not be there to enjoy the profits,'' warns Francois Traore, president of the National Federation of the Small Farmers of Burkina Faso. In spite of assurances from the researchers on the conclusive results of experiments in Australia and South Africa, Burkina Faso's small farmers fear that genes from BT cotton could contaminate food crops grown near the cotton fields.

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