GMO ban holds back roll out of cotton that could revitalise sector

The ban on genetically modified organisms (GMO) continues to block efforts to introduce a new variety of cotton that promises to lower costs of production.

The Bt (Bacillus thuringiensis) cotton variety was going to be the first bio-engineered crop to be rolled out in the country in 2013 after trials were finalised by the Kenya Agricultural Research Institute (Kari).

However, these plans were shelved following a ban on genetically modified crops in 2012 over health-related concerns.

But early this year, Science and Technology Cabinet Secretary Jacob Kaimenyi said the Government was reviewing the ban, and hoped to lift it by this month, adding that the resistance to GM crops was not supported by evidence.

Bt is a bacteria that naturally produces a chemical harmful to insects. The engineered cotton variety has the gene coding for the Bt toxin, which enables it kill pests that attack the crop.

The biggest pest headache affecting cotton production in Kenya is the boll worm, with farmers spending more than 40 per cent of their expenses to manage it.

Better returns

Stakeholders in the agricultural sector have been lobbying for the variety’s exemption from the GMO ban, but the National Assembly is yet to give the all-clear for its use.

The argument put forward by proponents of the pest-resistant variety is that since cotton is a non-food material, Bt can be planted to cushion farmers from losses caused by boll worms.

“Major cotton producers in the world are all on Bt cotton because of the better returns it offers. If we hope to be competitive in this sector, then it is the way to go,” said a source who did not wish to be identified because of the sensitivity of the matter.

South Africa, Burkina Faso and Sudan are some of the countries on the continent that have embraced use of Bt cotton. Major world producers include China, US, India, Pakistan and Brazil.

“They have a competitive edge in the market because of their lower production prices and good quality output compared to the rest of us, and that is a challenge for our local industry,” said the source.

Former President Mwai Kibaki first allowed the importation of GMOs into Kenya in 2011, but his government rescinded this in November the following year.

Cotton is grown in parts of Rift Valley, Eastern, Central, Coast and Nyanza under rain-fed and irrigated conditions.

In 2012, the total area under cotton production was 25,540 hectares, with recorded seed cotton production of about 13,800 metric tonnes.

To improve yields in the face of the ban, the Fibre Crops Directorate has been pushing cotton farmers to form co-operatives to enable them invest in high-value cotton grades.

Grading levels

The usual practice has been to classify cotton into two grades at the farm level based on colour characteristics.

However, processors tend to earn more from the crop by grading the product using standardised scales, which are seven.

“It means ginners are able to charge more for premium output, giving them an opportunity to earn more than what they pay farmers,” said the directorate’s Zonal Co-ordinator, Paul Opee.

In the current season, the farm gate price for grade A cotton is at a minimum of Sh42 per kilogramme, while grade B usually sells at half that price.

Mr Opee added that the disorganised production system in the local industry, where individual farmers are unable to produce large volumes, leaves them vulnerable to exploitation.

“For farmers to move forward, they need to have their own processing units. We are encouraging them to own ginneries, which are not that expensive — it costs about Sh1.5 million to have an operational facility,” he said.

“In co-operatives and with facilities like the Commodities Fund available to them, this is achievable.”

The country’s cotton processing industry is mostly private, with eight ginning factories currently operational.

bizbeat@standardmedia.co.ke