Dr Ian Clarke's call to MPs on GMO Bill is spot on

By Isaac Ongu

BIOTECHNOLOGY AND BIOSAFETY BILL

In his Sunday Column of September 17, 2017, Dr. Ian Clarke calls upon MPs to pass the Biotechnology and Biosafety Bill which has not been enacted since it was first presented in 2012. Ian Clarke shared his experience from his visit to the US where he witnessed what commercial farming is.

One thing that came out was that science and technology is key in Agriculture if the vision of transforming Uganda out of Peasantry is to be achieved. Social media comments in response to Dr. Clarke's article show the mentality of little appreciation of what Agriculture is. 

Key responses included things like: Uganda grows only organic; Ugandan soil is ever fertile; you just throw seeds and you wait to harvest. These careless utterances that appear factual to many have perpetuated poverty in the rural areas.

It is unfortunate that such myths come from those who are supposed to know. The example Ian Clarke brought on the inability by the smallholder farmers to bounce back from shocks like drought is reason enough to embrace science and technology in Agriculture. Banana farmers in Isingiro that had been selling their produce went straight to hunger after drought.

Like Clarke, members of Parliament have gone to several countries that are growing GM crops in the name of benchmarking. They have been to the United States, Brazil, India, South Africa and Burkina Faso but on their return they choose to keep quiet. When Clarke, a scientist with a discipline of relying on facts come out to share his experiences of what he saw and heard, it should motivate others to read more about the subject so that they can respond with information.

Government should partly be blamed for the lack of proper information in the public. The national Biotechnology and Biosafety Policy of 2008 clearly points out that strategies would be put in place to increase public understanding and participation in Biotechnology and Biosafety Development. Since 2008 when the Policy was passed, there has been no Government led strategy to sensitize the masses on the potential of Biotechnology. Members of Parliament who are supposed to participate in ensuring elements of this Policy are implemented are always complaining about lack of awareness. After benchmarking visits nationally and internationally, these MPs return and keep quiet.

The Biotechnology and the Biosafety law is just one element of the Policy that is key in realizing the ever increasing potential of Biotechnology in overcoming Agricultural challenges. The recent challenges like drought, banana, bacterial wilt, cassava brown streak disease and fall army worm can all be fought using biotechnology based interventions.

It is high time MPs came out boldly like Clarke did to instill confidence in the masses about the safety of GMOs by explaining how the law will provide for institutions that will guarantee safety of any GMO that will be introduced to farmers.

I applaud Dr. Ian Clarke for coming out to speak on a subject that many non agricultural scientists shy away from even when blatant lies and myths are being paraded as truth. Reputable world bodies like world Health Organisation, Food and Agricultural Organisation have all come out clearly to state that GMOs are as safe as any other crop that is released through proper channels.

The Agricultural challenges that farmers are grappling with can only be addressed through science and technology. Biotechnology provides a unique option that Uganda cannot afford to ignore during this period of erratic changes brought by the change in Climate Change.

The writer is an Agricultural Communications Expert