Oheneba Ntim Is Right

GM CROPS ARE DANGEROUS!

By Newman Dotse

Oheneba Intim was condemned when he kicks against the introduction of GM crops in Ghana but in all fairness, introduction of Genetically Modified (GM) crops in Ghana has the potential to hurt Ghanaian farmers if serious analyses are not done before embracing this concept fully.

GM crops have been hailed by some agriculture experts as the solution to food security and the answer to drought stricken areas in the country which have been unable to grow more crops as compared to the years past. However, it is important to note that there are some negative connotations that will be incurred by farmers. In South Africa, where GM crop farming is already fully legal and regulated, farmers who plant GM crops are faced with the challenge of the cost of the seeds, which are more expensive than they can afford.

The South African government buys two acres worth of seeds for each farmer, but if the farmer wishes to plant more, they have to buy the seeds themselves. What makes it even more costly for the farmers is that, they cannot keep part of their harvest to replant the following season. According to regulations, farmers need to buy new seeds every year. This is enforced by the fact that most of these GM seeds have a “built-in self-destruct mechanism” which prevents their seeds from germinating when replanted, thus forcing the poor famers to resort to buying from the originators and producers of the time and financial consuming seeds . The question here is; can Ghana withstand this heat with its slim economy?

Moreover, the regulations for growing GM crops dictate to the farmers how to grow their crops and as such, contravenes on their right to use their discretion when planting. Farmers need to own licences that allow them to grow GM crops. If a farmer loses his or her licence, he or she will not be able to purchase any GM seeds. This was confirmed by a representative from Monsanto, the world’s largest producer of GM crops, who said "If farmers fail to comply, their licensces are revoked.” He also said farmers were compelled to grow five per cent non-GM crops next to their 95 per cent GM crops, solely for the purpose of providing insects and other pests with food because according to research, insects hate feeding on GM crops.

This means that farmers use part of their land for this even though they won’t profit from it. A farmer may also not plant fields of mixed GMO and non-GM crops.

Hence, The Citizen Newspaper is warning those clamouring for the acceptance of GM crops in Ghana because of their selfish interest to desist from this backward attitude and rather encourage Ghanaian farmers to continue to embrace the traditional crops that we have.

Government endorsing GM crop means allowing the western world to control Ghana’s food basket by determining how to grow our crops, how to harvest, when to harvest and how much to plant.

Famine and hunger will strike Africa the day the original producers of this GM crops stop their supply to Africa.

Don’t forget South Africans are already battling the exorbitant price of the GM seeds. Accepting GM crop according to the restrictions attached to the agreement, one have no right to mix GM crop with a traditional crop. This means that with time, our traditional crops that we can replant at anytime would be faced-out and then Ghana would have to use money raised from the sale of its natural resources to import GM seeds for farmers, something that I personally think Ghana government cannot sustain because even South Africa is struggling to hold on to it.

I think this is another ploy devised by the western world to continue to rule Africa and by so doing, steal our natural resources because if we don’t have enough money to purchase these crops, then we would have to commute our natural resources for it.

Don’t also forget that Britain rejected these GM crops on the grounds that it is not medically good to be consuming GM crops because it lacks all the nutrients one can get from the traditional crops.

Ghana, say no to GM crops!

Source: The Citizen Newspaper (thecitizen.news@yahoo.com) +233 27 731 4655