Environment and Natural Resources Programme • Volume 8 • Number 14 • 25th July 2008

Burkina Faso Commercialises GM Cotton

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Burkina Faso recently signed a commercial agreement with Monsanto to import Bt cottonseeds, making it the first country in West Africa to test genetically modified (GM) crops.

The tests, conducted jointly by the Burkina National Agricultural Research Institute (INERA) and Monsanto, began in late June. The strains of Bt cotton, developed from local varieties, have been approved for both production and general sale. Burkina Faso’s National Biosecurity Agency has authorised 15,000 hectares for seed production.

Bt cotton is a second-generation product that contains a protein from the Bacillus thuringiensis bacteria, which shields it from specific lepidopteron pests such moths, butterflies and caterpillars. Burkina Faso experiences frequent droughts and insect infestations that sometimes damage up to 90 percent of the crop.

Researchers at INERA argue that Bt cotton requires only two pesticide treatments per season, opposed to the six to eight treatments for non-modified cotton. Using GM strains would therefore cut pesticide use by 60 percent, lowering costs by about 20 percent. Estimated total earnings, counting savings and increased revenue from higher yield, would increase by 90,000 CFA per hectare each season. In terms of costs, local farmers will be provided seeds at a discount; Monsanto will receive only 28 percent of the royalties from the seed sales.

Added revenue could boost Burkina Faso’s struggling economy, which is mainly based on subsistence agriculture and the cotton cash crop earnings that make up 50 percent of its exports. Burkina Faso is currently the top cotton producer in West Africa. It harvested over 660,000 tones in the 2006-2007 season. However, its harvests have fallen by over half this past year. Savings on the cost of insecticide treatment could possibly boost yield and remove barriers to international competitiveness, said Dr. Ouola Traoré, head of the Cotton Program at INERA.

However, safety concerns about GM products persist, and the use of cottonseed for edible oil in the West African region has raised some alarm. INERA researchers, however, are assuring the local population that tests are currently conducted not only to assess the effectiveness and financial viability of Bt cotton, but also to analyse its impact on the environment and its safety for animal and human consumption.

ICTSD reporting; 18 July 2008, “Burkina launches Monsanto GMO cotton to boost crop,” REUTERS; 12 July 2008, “Burkina Faso has commercialized Bt cotton,” AFRICA SCIENCE NEWS SERVICE.

One response to “Burkina Faso Commercialises GM Cotton”

Zerihun Desalegn 13th September 2008 at 14:39
please check this info