Genetically-modified (GM) maize will benefit African farmers through increased yields and disease resistant crops, says biotechnology stakeholder, AfricaBio.
Company spokesperson Penelope Mahlangu says biotechnology has an important function to play in the African agricultural landscape.
"Biotechnology is creating new environments for emerging farmers and aims to address social concerns such as poverty," said Mahlangu. She said that an estimated three million subsistence farmers in South Africa relied on maize for survival.
"GM maize is suitable for small-scale farmers because it doesn't require insecticide applications and is therefore more cost-effective," Mahlangu said.
Meanwhile, a survey by the Public Understanding of Biotechnology Programme (PUB), recently discovered that eight out of 10 South Africans have no knowledge about biotechnology.
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A quarter of the 7 000 adults surveyed said biotechnology posed no risk to society, but only one percent indicated they would like to see GM information on food labels.
Dr Adi Paterson, deputy director-general of the department of science and technology, said public awareness about biotechnology must be increased.
"This extreme lack of knowledge imparts a weighty responsibility and is precisely why we instituted PUB as a key instrument of the National Biotechnology Strategy," said Paterson.
Of particular interest, said PUB, was that only 24 percent of respondents indicated an interest in agricultural biotechnology, as opposed to 44 percent who would have preferred to be more informed about medical biotechnology.
- This article was originally published on page 4 of Pretoria News on April 11, 2005
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