GM Products & Zimbabwe’s Current Stand

1. GM Products & Zimbabwe’s Current Stand Prof. I. Sithole-Niang Department of Biochemistry UZ

2. Outline • Definitions • Challenges • Global trends • Opportunities • Perceived risks/concerns • Zimbabwean scenario • EU Framework • South Africa 2010

3. Definitions • Biotechnology is the use of biological systems to create goods and services • Gene manipulation • Genetic engineering • Genetic modification • Transgenesis • LMOs: living modified organisms • GMOs: genetically modified organisms

4. Transformation technology – plant transformation 2. Put the engineered gene into cells of the desired plant

5. Regulation of GM crops moves through different stages of crop development and deployment General release Full safety assessment Confined Field Trials Growth Chamber or greenhouse Approval General Release Application Lab CFT Application

6. 1. Why biotechnology? • World population will reach 9 billion by 2040 • Some undernourished either in terms of quantity or quality • Arable land shrinking due to erosion, pollution, and other forms of land use • Increasing shortage of fresh water for drinking and irrigation • Climate change will increase the need for keeping up with well adapted crops

7. 2. Why biotechnology ? • Increasing demand for fuels and chemicals from renewable sources as oil reserves become depleted and oil-based commodities more expensive • 80% of world caloric intake comes from only 4 crops • Not a silver bullet but can contribute significantly to finding solutions to these challenges

8. 1.Challenges • Need to produce: • More crops per hectare • More crop per liter of water • Marginal- • Arid- or Saline land

9. 2. Challenges Enhance: • Nutritional value of crops • Crop diversity Reduce: • Dependence on pesticides & fertilizers • Post-harvest losses during storage & transport • Soil erosion

11. In 2010 • Total plantings since 1996 exceeded 1 billion hectares • 15.4 million farmers in 29 countries, of which 14.4 million are small scale farmers • The 10 largest biotech growing countries all grew more 1 million ha • Still the fastest adopted technology in the history of modern agriculture • Oz back on the scene 184%, and BF 126%, 80K farmers planting 260,000 ha • Pakistan, Myanmar, Sweden first timers, & Germany back on the scene

12. 1. Opportunities/pipeline Biotic stress: Disease resistance • Fungal resistance – Banana/Black sigatoka • Virus resistance – banana, cassava, yam, papaya, groundnut, sweetpotato & tomato • Bacterial resistance – rice, cassava, banana & potato • Pest resistance/field & storage

13. 2. Opportunities/pipeline Abiotic stress tolerance • Drought tolerance –maize (WEMA), wheat rice sorghum etc • Saline tolerance- maize, wheat, tobacco, sorghum, rice etc (NUE-ST)

14. 3. Opportunities/pipeline Enhanced nutrition: rice, cassava & sorghum –(pro-vitamin A, Fe, Zn, Vit E) • Banana- pro-vitamin A & Fe, wheat- Fe • Maize, potatoes, sorghum & cassava (protein quality). Mustard pro-vitamin A • Other: reducing cyanogenic compounds in cassava & changing available P by reducing phytates

15. Perceived Risks/concerns • Environmental • Reduced biodiversity • Invasive • Gene flow • Pest resistance • Non-target organisms • Food & feed safety • Socio-economic issues

16. Socio-economic • Economic • Trade • Globalization • Intellectual Property Rights • Income inequality • Social • Religious & ethical issues • Replanting of seed • Impact on organic farming • labelling

17. Biosafety considerations • Environmental risk assessment which includes: • Effect on non-target organisms • Potential for weediness • Concerns over gene flow and consequences thereof • Food and feed safety • Toxicity • Nutritional equivalence • Allergenicity • Digestibility and • Socio-economic considerations.

18. Status of Biosafety Regulations in African Countries • Developed NBFs: 9 • Interim NBFs: 14 • No biosafety frameworks or in the process of developing NBFs: 30 • Conducting CFTs: 6(South Africa, Egypt, Burkina Faso, Kenya, Uganda, Zimbabwe) • Commercial approvals: 3: South Africa, Egypt and Burkina Faso.

19. Decision making 3 main reasons for delays in approvals: • Uncertainty about legal framework • CPB • AIA non so far! • Prevailing public and political pressure • Unbalanced evaluation of risks

20. 1. Zimbabwean scenario • National Biotechnology Authority • Draft Biotech Policy • Biosafety Law • 2nd country in the world to adopt hybrid seed • CFTs on maize & cotton • Cotton sector ready • Ambivalence

21. 2. Zimbabwean scenario • GM chickens • Livestock feed • Cheaper • Comparative advantage of the South African traders • Public awareness lacking • MSTD, NBA/RCZ/ZAS/ Crop Science Society • ? COMESA

22. EU Framework • EC Regulation 1829/2003 is the GM Food and Feed Regulation - LMOs, feed & food ingredients • Labelling: 0.9% threshold • Safety assessment by EFSA • GM feed not likely to contain viable GMOs and is digested the same way as conventional • 18 GMOs authorized for use • 12 maize varieties, 2 soya, 1 ea. Oilseed rape, sugar beet, cotton & potato

23. SA Field Trial Approvals for 2010 • Maize: Nine of the above events in 2009/2010 were approved for trials in 2010/2011. • Cotton: Four of the events trialed in 2009 were approved for 2010 in repeat trials • Table grape: 2009 trial continued. • Sugarcane trials still in field • Cassava: Enhanced starch approved for field trial. Greenhouse trial: • Ornithogalum(indigenous bulb flower): virus resistance. Clinical trials: • Several GM vaccines for treatment of tuberculosis and measles were approved for trials, as well as permits to import and export similar vaccines.

24. References • James, C. 2010 Global status of Commercialized Biotech/GM crops: ISAAA Brief 42 • Public Research and Regulation Initiative Briefing Paper • EU-Foods Standards Agency (2009):GM material in Animal Feed • Wynard van der Walt SA Report 2011 • Carpenter, J. 2010. Nature Biotechnology 28(4) 319-321.