WE DONT NEED GMO. THE NORTH AMERICCAN USE HUNGER AS AN EXCUSE TO INTRODUCE GMO FOODS. THIS IS FALSE. THEY SIMPLY WANT TO CARRY THRU WITH THIS GMO FOOLISHNESS BCOS IT WILL GET MORE PPL SICK. THE HOSPITALS AND DOCTORS WILL BE T ... read full comment
WE DONT NEED GMO. THE NORTH AMERICCAN USE HUNGER AS AN EXCUSE TO INTRODUCE GMO FOODS. THIS IS FALSE. THEY SIMPLY WANT TO CARRY THRU WITH THIS GMO FOOLISHNESS BCOS IT WILL GET MORE PPL SICK. THE HOSPITALS AND DOCTORS WILL BE THE ONES WHO BENEFIT. PPL WILL GET SICK AND DIS AS A RESULT OF CANCER CAUSING GMO FOODS. PROPER IRRIGATION, MODERN AGRIC TOOLS/MACHINERY, ANIMAL FEED FERTILIZER WILL ELIMINATE HUNGER.
Taharka 10 years ago
Speak brother.
Speak brother.
Symbiosis 10 years ago
Bro, the GMO thing is not simply or merely foolishness, it is actually a very dangerous proposition whose only ultimate interest is not to feed human beings but to make a few people extremely rich.
Europe and America, the ... read full comment
Bro, the GMO thing is not simply or merely foolishness, it is actually a very dangerous proposition whose only ultimate interest is not to feed human beings but to make a few people extremely rich.
Europe and America, the principal actors in this criminal activity, have stored gargantuan 'food mountains' in millions of tons which can feed them for many years to come in the event of a disaster. Some of these foods they regularly dump into the seas when their food and time limits expire.They pay their farmers not to over-produce to keep food prices on the world market high and profitable. If they really cared about hunger in other parts of the world, why cant they off-load some of this kind of healthy food to their less fortunate human beings?
You must remember that Europe, America and Israel were funding secret laboratories in South Africa to find the best ways and means to reduce and ultimately annihilate the Black African population during the Apartheid era. These laboratories were discontinued when the ANC took over power.
If these people can conceive of such criminally sinful activities against mankind, what makes you think that they will not pursue that same agenda under the cover of GMO foods? It would rather be a devil-sent opportunity for them to continue with their evil agenda to further minimize the presence and importance of the Black African race of people in the world so that they can now come and freely take over our lands and mineral resources to their exclusive and greedy benefit.
Considering what they have done to us in the past, would this surprise you?
francis kwarteng 10 years ago
Symbiosis,
Yes, if they care so much about hunger, why do they (America, Europe) throw away tons of food away every year?
I remember taking an economics class in New York in 2008 when I raised your question.
Accordi ... read full comment
Symbiosis,
Yes, if they care so much about hunger, why do they (America, Europe) throw away tons of food away every year?
I remember taking an economics class in New York in 2008 when I raised your question.
According to the economics professor (who used to consult with the American government on these questions), the American government said African governments and farmers complained that foods the American government donates to Africa competed with locally produced food.
In other words, American generosity destroys the market for locally produced farm produce and put the economic lives of farmers and their families in jeopardy.
I have beeen thinking about his answer since then. Why does the IMF/World Bank, both based in America (Washington, I think) ask our governments to buy rice, fowl, etc., from the West? Doesn't this policy compete with our national priorities and those of our farmers?
IMF/World Bank policies have practically destroyed poultry farming in Ghana (Northern Region). Consider the scale of youth unemployment there in the North. Consider the SADA corruption!
I partly, in fact, mostly, blame African leaders for most of these problems.
Thanks.
Yaw Bimpeh 10 years ago
I am trying to be curious. Are you the Kwarteng I know from Dansoman-Sahara, formerly of Accra Academy and KNUST? And do you remember "Let's say let's say let's say"? You know what I mean?
I am trying to be curious. Are you the Kwarteng I know from Dansoman-Sahara, formerly of Accra Academy and KNUST? And do you remember "Let's say let's say let's say"? You know what I mean?
francis kwarteng 10 years ago
Yes,
I know what you mean!
Yes,
I know what you mean!
JH New York 10 years ago
Yes,it's about leadership !
It's pitiful why and how African leadership especially Ghana are not able to reject glaring
destructive economic prescriptions by those world bodies.Sometimes I ask myself, if the African leaders ... read full comment
Yes,it's about leadership !
It's pitiful why and how African leadership especially Ghana are not able to reject glaring
destructive economic prescriptions by those world bodies.Sometimes I ask myself, if the African leadership is a curse to his own peoples.
I identify one of the problems before they ascend to the seat of govt as lack of laid down plans for the nation,or, the way forward.
When there was plans,there's not priorities, Where there's priorities,they don't have the funds,Where. there's funds projects are
not.well budgeted for.Funds is diverted and
subjected to looting and flimsy financial encumbrances, and so on and so forth. Anyway. The caliber of. African leaders are her biggest problem.And the inability of the electorate to identify "puppet political parties with sugar coated rantings is equally a factor.
.
esiegya 10 years ago
In order to argue coherently against the GM lobby, which is one of the most powerful in the world (what with Monsanto pouring limitless sums into the lobbyists' pockets) please try not to cover too much ground. Focus on the E ... read full comment
In order to argue coherently against the GM lobby, which is one of the most powerful in the world (what with Monsanto pouring limitless sums into the lobbyists' pockets) please try not to cover too much ground. Focus on the ESSENTIAL, irrefutable arguments.
You seem to have omitted, in this particular article, the fact that when farmers plant GM crops in one season, they may not be able to replant from the harvest in the next season because GM seeds are deliberately made STERILE. In that eventuality, the farmers must go and buy new seed for plating from the GM supplier. What if they don't have the money to do that? They will starve, won;t they?
It is realisation that GM food planting would render them ETERNALLY DEPENDENT on the Monsantos of this world which caused Indian farmers to BURN Minsanto experimental farms in India.
Monsanto and its supporters counter that they have abandoned the production of "sterile" seeds, But who can trust their word? We have a proverb that "if an animal will not bite you, it won't bare its teeth at you!" If Monsanto did not intend to deploy "Terminator" seeds on the world, why did it put huge sums into developing them? Another proverb says that "there is always blood in a tse-tse-fly's head". Which African country, shirt if say, drugs, has ever been offered drugs a t a reduced cost because it has no foreign exchange to import the drugs it needs? If an African farmer cannot afford to buy new seed from Monsanto or another firm, how can we be sure that the capitalists who run these firms for profit will have mercy and give them some free seed or sell seed to them at a reduced price?
By all means we should use scientific research and methods to IMPROVE OUR LOCAL SEEDS IN RELATION TO RESISTANCE TO PESTS AND CLIMATIC CONDITIONS. But we should not surrender our CHOICE of what to do to survive to multi-nationals the ancestors of whose owners sold our people into slavery and who care very little indeed for
people of our colour -- as they have proved throughout history. Let peoplelike Kofi Annan remember what Madeline Albright told him when as SG of the UN, he tried to assert his loyalty to the UN,as against the US. She said, "We put you there and we cab move you from there!" That is the sort of respect Americans have for even the most exalted Africans, and yet here is Kofi Annan, with all his experience, naively taking the word of Monsanto and the Gates Foundation at face value. All Ghanaians should resist this new "food imperialism". With all their might.
Asiwome 10 years ago
we must not profligate our natural resources. Fruit trees provide shade, improve the air, beautify the landscape and provide a long term solution to hunger.
we must not profligate our natural resources. Fruit trees provide shade, improve the air, beautify the landscape and provide a long term solution to hunger.
Nii Ashitey 10 years ago
Africa is in danger of becoming the dumping ground for the struggling GM industry and the laboratory for frustrated scientists so say the opponents of GM. The proponents of GM technology say it will revolutionize the green in ... read full comment
Africa is in danger of becoming the dumping ground for the struggling GM industry and the laboratory for frustrated scientists so say the opponents of GM. The proponents of GM technology say it will revolutionize the green industry and GM crops will be the answer to African hunger.
Despite numerous studies demonstrating the benefits of genetic modification (GM) technology — particularly its potential to increase food security in developing regions — the jury is still out on transgenic (genetically modified) crops. The general consensus around the world remain concerned about suspected potential risks, and media messages are often mixed.
The potential benefits of GM crops for alleviating poverty and hunger, and improving agricultural productivity, health and food security, cannot be over-emphasized. It is true that Africa is facing some of the most serous challenges on food security but our scientist have not assured us of the safety from GMO. Instead what we see is that our governments are under pressure from US and other international institutions who have interest in the debate on this subject and are being forced to tow a certain line by MNC for their parochial interest. Monsanto for example has patents on all their created GM seeds and therefore they essentially own that food crops. But this is very dangerous for a country like Ghana. How can a multi-national company own food whose only interest is profit?
Meanwhile the African governments have been forced into biopolitics which is a process of political risk management, whereby policy-makers base their decisions—for example, whether a given crop harbours potential risks for human health or the environment—on more than just the scientific evidence.
US and several international regulatory bodies including the World Health Organisation (WHO), the Food and Agriculture Organisation of United Nations (FAO) have concluded that there is no scientific evidence that the application of GM technology has resulted in substantial human health effects or environmental problems. For example, a British government report released by a panel of experts found out that no verifiable ill effects have been reported from consumption of GM food products and that the risks to human health are very low for current GM crops on the markets. See the language used by these institutions on the risk factors: That the risk is very low which contravenes their own principle of scientific certainty.
In spite of claiming that there is lack of evidence for potential adverse effects of GMO production, most European countries do not grow GM crops as precautionary principle to ban GM crops has been adopted in European legislation. That is EU has a united front on this issue so what is the African countries and for that matter the AU position? There are countries in Africa who are for GMO and others against so we have a divided front on this question. Until our scientists come out with a unified position the experiment on GM crops will continue on the continent.
In spite of this handicap many African experts in the field believe that the position to adopt now is the need for Africa to apply the precautionary principle which advises not to proceed when there is no certainty for safety of health and the environment. Given Africa's constraints of lack of resources for effective biosafety measures and lack of awareness about GM crops among the public and farmers in particular, the only practical and appropriate position for African governments to adopt at present is to declare a moratorium on the commercialisation of GM crops.
JAMES G 10 years ago
GMO's ARE VERY BAD. THE PEOPLE OF MONSANTO WILL NOT EAT THEIR OWN GMO'S . THEY WILL ALWAYS MAKE THINGS SOUND GOOD AS THEIR POISONING THE FOODS WITH BUILT IN PESTICIDES IN THE GMO FOODS. NATURALNEWS.COM FOR INFO WE ALL NEED...
GMO's ARE VERY BAD. THE PEOPLE OF MONSANTO WILL NOT EAT THEIR OWN GMO'S . THEY WILL ALWAYS MAKE THINGS SOUND GOOD AS THEIR POISONING THE FOODS WITH BUILT IN PESTICIDES IN THE GMO FOODS. NATURALNEWS.COM FOR INFO WE ALL NEED...
Media Mogul 10 years ago
Your pal, Nii Ashitey, has said it clearly - a moratorium on the commercialization of GM foods until we are all very sure. I take this to mean a no to GM foods in Africa.
The surprising thing is that these countries advis ... read full comment
Your pal, Nii Ashitey, has said it clearly - a moratorium on the commercialization of GM foods until we are all very sure. I take this to mean a no to GM foods in Africa.
The surprising thing is that these countries advising GM foods for us in Africa don't tolerate these foods themselves. What, exactly, is the status of these GM foods in the US? Of course, there is nowhere in the advanced countries that food crops have not been manipulated somehow but we are talking of a manipulation on a higher scale than before. If the advanced countries will not allow certain GM foods, that is enough prima facie reason for us in Africa not to adopt them - hunger or no hunger. After all, they have better scientists and we can't wait for our own scientists to make the experiments and decide for us. We see they don't eat it, we also don't eat it!
Thanks for offering the solutions that I expected from yesterday's piece. Incidentally, many of the suggested solutions are ones that Africa needs even to solve other non-GM problems. So that will be a great challenge.
Oh, btw, this morning I saw that this article was up on the front page when you open the Opinion section. But now it has been pushed to the archives where it is less accessible to readers. The article that has pushed it off the front is the one by - who else? - Kofi Thompson. Francis, have you noticed how Kofi Thompson's articles are ALWAYS heading the pack every day? These guy's articles are never pushed to the archives on any day (the way your present article has been removed from the front and sent backwards). It does seem Kofi Thompson controls the placement of articles on ghanaweb and favours his own. The situation is made worse by the fact that he writes one or two articles EVERY DAY and places these on top pushing those of others to the back. I have complained about this several times without effect. It's a shame really when, even though ghanaweb is privately owned, it has since its inception belonged to ALL Ghanaians.
Ok, let's read your piece on religion (not Islam specifically).
francis kwarteng 10 years ago
Media Mogul,
Good morning. I have one more article on genetically modified food.
It's titled "Fighting Genetically Modified Technology In Ghana: A Few More Practical Solutions."
I have already sent that in for publi ... read full comment
Media Mogul,
Good morning. I have one more article on genetically modified food.
It's titled "Fighting Genetically Modified Technology In Ghana: A Few More Practical Solutions."
I have already sent that in for publication.
Don't miss it.
Finlly, I am aware of the politics and will lodge my complaint with the editor.
Thanks.
Kponyo 10 years ago
Dont bother to send any complaints to the editor of Ghanaweb bcos nothing will come out of it and it will not serve anybody any useful purposes. I myself have suffered from their inconsistencies and after several complaints, ... read full comment
Dont bother to send any complaints to the editor of Ghanaweb bcos nothing will come out of it and it will not serve anybody any useful purposes. I myself have suffered from their inconsistencies and after several complaints, nothing came out of it.
Unfortunately much as Ghanaweb does not owes us a duty, or is not obliged to satisfy our whims, we also do not owe them.
We should just simply be aware of the kind of game that is being played over our heads and know how to live or deal with it. One just needs to know how to survive in the rampant bigotry of a capitalist hegemony.
Bro' just keep on writing your fine articles on Ghanaweb or on any other media platform for the benefit of the more enlightened section of African society. Mind you, 'we' must recognize the fact that 'we' are an isolated, secluded and oppressed minority that is tormented by the vicious ignorance of the larger society.
Media Mogul 10 years ago
Kponyo is right that nothing will come out of a complaint to ghanaweb but I urge you to do it still. And don't forget to send your pieces to modernghana.com too. They treat you far better and allow you to format your own arti ... read full comment
Kponyo is right that nothing will come out of a complaint to ghanaweb but I urge you to do it still. And don't forget to send your pieces to modernghana.com too. They treat you far better and allow you to format your own articles so you can put links, italics and bolds. The articles appear in the strict order in which they are sent, not somebody always putting his articles on the top of the pile. But ghanaweb is the most visited Ghanaian portal.
francis kwarteng 10 years ago
Media Mogul,
Thanks.
Do you remember my tribute to Prof. Kofi Awoonor?
864 people have so far read it on Modernghaha.com (as opposed to the 80 or so on Ghanaweb, where most of the comments were instults, anyway). Not ... read full comment
Media Mogul,
Thanks.
Do you remember my tribute to Prof. Kofi Awoonor?
864 people have so far read it on Modernghaha.com (as opposed to the 80 or so on Ghanaweb, where most of the comments were instults, anyway). Not one single insult on Modernghaha.com.
Moreover, unlike Ghanaweb, all the websites (editors)which publish my articles have written to me not to stop publishing there.
Some American employers (as far as away as in California) have seen some of my online articles and written to some of these editors asking for my email (to ask what I do a living; some of them want to give me a job).
I have even received invitations from Prime Journal of Social Science to serve as a reviwer.
I even received invitation for an interview from one of TV3's production managers (Juliane York) for interview (she didn't know I live in the US).
I also received positive encouragement from one Kester, one of the editors of The African Voice, a magazine whose outfit is based in the Netherlands. So the politics Ghanaweb plays is not much of a bother.
You will be suprised the number of people who read me there, Modernghana.com? 317 read my piece on the first part of the GM series and 278 on the second installment. No insults.
We shall discuss how the other websites treat my articles (even with their typos/grammatical errors which, strangely, I only see when I have to reread them to respond to readers' questions). Dr. Molefi Kete Asante has also asked me to keep track of all the articles for publication later.
Thanks, anyway.
My article "Fighting Genetically Modified Technology In Ghana: A Few More Practical Solutions" generated 224 readers in less than 2 hours there.
Media Mogul 10 years ago
Yes, modernghana provides good statistics available only for the author who posts her own articles. But note that the "Hits" column does not indicate those who have "read" the article. It only records those who have "hit" the ... read full comment
Yes, modernghana provides good statistics available only for the author who posts her own articles. But note that the "Hits" column does not indicate those who have "read" the article. It only records those who have "hit" the page and will record differently all the several times you have, yourself, accessed the page. So 864 does not mean 864 unique readers or even visitors.
modernghana also limits the number of comments, apparently, and this is not too good. It blocks some swear words but the determined person will just spell the word slightly differently and the blocker will miss it. But then you have the chance to delete the word yourself or the entire comment - but you don't really want to do that.
But ghanaweb is the most visited Ghanaian site. It is also the oldest starting right around the time the internet itself was getting out of the university campuses to the wider world. That is where your articles get the greatest exposure. And that is why many still hang on to ghanaweb and want it to do well - and do justly by giving everyone who writes in equal exposure.
Now, let me get to read your next piece... So keep 'em comin'...
francis kwarteng 10 years ago
Media Mogul,
What if one-fourth of the 864 hit on the article and actually read it?
That would be 200 (if we round the 864 to 800).
Moreover, most of the fruitful emails I have received have come from readers who ha ... read full comment
Media Mogul,
What if one-fourth of the 864 hit on the article and actually read it?
That would be 200 (if we round the 864 to 800).
Moreover, most of the fruitful emails I have received have come from readers who have seen my articles on myjoyonline.com, modernghana.com, and other websites.
The Prime Journal of Social Science, The African Voice, and TV3 offers all came from myjoyonline.
These same people told me how ignorance abounds on Ghanaweb compared to the websites.
Yesterday, for instance, I received an email from another organization in Ghana wanting me to do some writings for them.
And the email actually from the editor who had read my "Fighting Gentically Modified Technology In Ghana" on modernghana, not Ghanaweb. I received another writing proposal from someone in California and he too saw the same article on modernghana.
I have not received any important offer from anyone who claimed to have read any of articles on Ghanaweb.
So, Media Mogul, these are the facts.
Media Mogul 10 years ago
Yes, I do. I just don't want you to equate hits with real reading. If you had access to the number of hits your articles make on ghanaweb, you will see it surpasses by far those on other sites. So many people read them on gha ... read full comment
Yes, I do. I just don't want you to equate hits with real reading. If you had access to the number of hits your articles make on ghanaweb, you will see it surpasses by far those on other sites. So many people read them on ghanaweb too than you would think. They only don't leave comments because of ... you know why.
joyonline is good. Actually, most middle class Ghanaians listen to their radio in Ghana too. But joyonline doesn't post quickly and, sometimes, may not post at all.
Then there are all the sites that simply poach your pieces and don't even have the decency to let you know of it. Sometimes, even respectable journals may lift them into their print editions without you being any the wiser - or richer.
So, Francis, I believe your facts. Best is to send them around all the places you've been doing so far.
Cheers.
francis kwarteng 10 years ago
Dear Kponyo,
Good day.
Thanks for your concern.
Stay blessed!
Dear Kponyo,
Good day.
Thanks for your concern.
Stay blessed!
papillon 10 years ago
These are the stuff worth reading on ghanaweb. Keep writing Francis and I hope our politicians are are taking notes. Good stuff!
These are the stuff worth reading on ghanaweb. Keep writing Francis and I hope our politicians are are taking notes. Good stuff!
Symbiosis 10 years ago
Papillion you mean you still make respectable reference to politicians in this country? What is it that makes you think that these ungrateful scoundrels (a synonym for our local politicians)can or would wish or want to improv ... read full comment
Papillion you mean you still make respectable reference to politicians in this country? What is it that makes you think that these ungrateful scoundrels (a synonym for our local politicians)can or would wish or want to improve the conditions of life of their voters? When did that last happen?
In the same way that many Ghanaians would proudly stand in front of the Kwame Nkrumah statue at the mausoleum and take a photo, our own current President snubs the Nkrumah statue and any other national monument as unimportant and proceeds all the way to the US to go and stand in front of the worlds most notorious imperialist loud-speaker, the CNN, and proudly poses and takes a photo there smiling broadly. Now do you think that such a light-minded person would give a damn about the possible dangerous effects of GMO foods to his countrymen and women?
Our politicians are more interested in becoming and staying on as govt officials than in advancing the interests of our country so when people like Francis Kwarteng presents an intelligent article such as the one under discussion, please leave the politicians out because apart from the fact that they will not do anything about it, they simply would not be interested. What more do you need to see to understand that our politicians are not sticking up for us?
We must realize that we are on our own and we must find the means of sustaining our survival - individually or collectively.
CHARLES 10 years ago
The world produces enough food tp feed it's population, we do not need GMO to feed the world, never believe those lies that GMO is here to help feed the word. waht the world need is money to buy the food. Even with the GMO, w ... read full comment
The world produces enough food tp feed it's population, we do not need GMO to feed the world, never believe those lies that GMO is here to help feed the word. waht the world need is money to buy the food. Even with the GMO, we still gonna need money to buy those GMO foods.
francis kwarteng 10 years ago
Charles,
You have raised another important point we have to cosider: Money. That's what no one wants to talk about.
It's nly Monsanto and the tax master (America) who are interested in talking about money.
They wil ... read full comment
Charles,
You have raised another important point we have to cosider: Money. That's what no one wants to talk about.
It's nly Monsanto and the tax master (America) who are interested in talking about money.
They will not eat the junk. Monsanto is in to make money off Africans and pass a percent of it on to the American government in terms of tax.
Unfortunately, our corrupt leaders have already received their fair of the Monsanto booty.
They, our leaders, are going to sell us as their foreparents did during the slavery days.
But we are lucky: We are going to die eating the Monsanto monsters and Frankenstein foods with their family members and descendants.
Thanks.
GMO eater, and proud 10 years ago
Did you really just use Nile perch (which is consumed everywhere around Lake Victoria, not exported) and Syphilis to lead this story? Wow, way to keep things relevant and well-thought out. This article is another in a serie ... read full comment
Did you really just use Nile perch (which is consumed everywhere around Lake Victoria, not exported) and Syphilis to lead this story? Wow, way to keep things relevant and well-thought out. This article is another in a series that is designed to be controversial and gain readers, not inform the public about the actual risks and benefits of GMO technology. Completely irresponsible.
Man has been altering his food sources since the dawn of time. Ghana has been in the vanguard of GMO regulation on the continent and has both the scientists and protocols to ensure that GMOs are developed safely and effectively. Here in Ghana CRI, BNARI, and SARI already have GMO trials underway and they are doing a great job! The scientists are well trained, knowledgeable and committed to improving food security in their country. What is the author committed to here? Selling papers? Scaring people? Unfortunately, I think he might have succeeded in both, rather than congratulating Ghana on its forward thinking policies and excellent work in adapting GMOs here.
No one is "out to get" or enslave Africa when it comes to GMOs. I pray that the informed reader will see through these shallow and sensational articles, and support the science to go forward in a responsible manner.
Until then, keep trying to scare people and sell papers Kwarteng- it's clearly much easier and more fun for you than seeing and reporting the facts.
Kwarteng's teacher 10 years ago
Totally agree. This guy is out of his mind and a poor writer to boot.
Let's support our farmers and our scientists to use productivity enhancing technologies responsibly. We will not be scared by crazy people like Kwarte ... read full comment
Totally agree. This guy is out of his mind and a poor writer to boot.
Let's support our farmers and our scientists to use productivity enhancing technologies responsibly. We will not be scared by crazy people like Kwarteng!
Dia 10 years ago
So why write the way you did if you are not scared!Kwarteng sought to educate, enlighten and warn us.
So why write the way you did if you are not scared!Kwarteng sought to educate, enlighten and warn us.
francis kwarteng 10 years ago
Hello,
Mr. Whatever you call yourself, what helpful facts did you give us in your comments? None. Not one.
Next, which planet do you live on? Why are most people in the West rejecting GMOs? Why have Western countries re ... read full comment
Hello,
Mr. Whatever you call yourself, what helpful facts did you give us in your comments? None. Not one.
Next, which planet do you live on? Why are most people in the West rejecting GMOs? Why have Western countries refused to allow GMOs to go free on their markets as "natural" food? Why doesn't the West readily accept GMOs? Why have some African countries banned it?
The Nile Perch and the documentary Darwin's Nightmare is there for all to see. It won some of the most important international awards. You know why the writer and producer Hubert Sauper did it in the first place? Look for the facts. They are all over the place.
This is one of the primary reasons: Why did European (and Russian) planes which flew fillets derived from the Nile Perch to Europe (which is the largest market in the world for Nile Perch) happen to be the same planes which flew in arms used in some of the conflicts in that same region?
The contradiction baffled him. Even as I write, it's still happening. What he chose to achieve with the documentary failed for the most part. I think you can even get to watch it for free on the internet.
I don't know where your facts are coming from. The entire world seems to have different ideas about the Nile Perch than you do.
Most of the Nile Perch are shipped to Europe even today. Nile Perch is the cocoa of the area around Lake Victoria. Most are exported, not locally consumed.
Have you personallly talked to Tanzanians and other Africans who live around Lake Victor? Have seen or read any scholarly articles published on this matter by Africans and the United Nations (NGOs)?
Don't many of our farmers export foodstuff to America, Asia, and Europe even while our people go hungry? Don't we grow rice in Ghana even though we import rice all the time?
Don't we have poultry farms all over Ghana though we import fowls into Ghana? Don't we grow cocoa in Ghana but still import chocolate and other cocoa finished products into Ghana?
After years of cocoa farming in Ghana, why do our trained scientists and researchers rely on Western expertise when our cocoa plants develop problems?
Where did all the training go? Even today, we still buy cocoa seeds from he West (occassinally)? Where is the expertise?
Everyone in the world knows these facts. Please don't deceive "ignorant" readers (Please don't let me include you in that category).
Now your misplaced exaggerations about GMOs in Ghana. Didn't we invite Americans to come and help us sort out the "mystery" behind fire outbreaks in Ghana?
What has come out of it? We can't even handle simple cases like fire outbreaks, let alone complicated cases like GMOs.
Don't we invite outsiders to come in and help us deal with mosquitoes and malaria? What have the scientists and researchers trained in Ghana to deal with mosquitoes and malaria done in that regard so far?
Doesn't Bill Gates and the Melinder Foundation help us with money and expertise as far as malaria and mosquitoes are concerned?
Don't we import seeds for our farmers? Don't we import fertilizers? Don't we import farm equipments? What are our agrictural scientists and researchers in the past 50 years?
Have we discovered cure for AIDS? Since Western scientists came out with information on HIV/AIDS in the early 1980s, what have we done in terms of finding cure for the disesase after the training our medical practioners and scientists (received from the West) and the protocols we have put in place in Ghana?
The West has relatively effective medicines to control viral load? What have our Western-trained scientists and protocols done for the spread of the virus in Ghana?
Don't we have fire experts in Ghana? Don't you know that the controversies surrounding the fire outbreaks are not as complicated as GM technology?
We can't even handle the simplest of cases, and we are talking about GM technology?
One of my friends in Ghana worked with BNARI. Let me tell you one thing everyone else seems to know but which has escaped your attention. The GM researchers in Ghana don't share their discoveries with their Ghanaian counterparts. Monsanto doesn't has sued or threatened to sue anyone who has threatened to expose their activities.
I cited the case of The Economist in the 1990s. Monsanto wants to make good money on its discoveries (patents, etc) and will not be stupid to give away vital info to anyone.
It's all about protecting its intellectual property. So never be fooled into thinking that our people are trained and, therefore, have all the information on GM technology. Remember that fake drugs from India and China make their way into Ghanaian markets every single day though we have trained our people to monitor these activities and eliminate. Lack of enforcemnent is one thing. Bribery is another. Your comments never addressed nay of these.
Finally, didn't you read Part 1 of the series? There is a huge difference between "natural" GM and artificial GM which I clarified in Part 1?
Moreover, the GM done today is not the same GM done 10,000 years ago? No the difference. (read the sourced I cite in the papers).
Finally, my former New York biology professor, a white American, has done some useful work on the controversies generated by Monsanto and GM. He even teaches that as part of general biology class.
America's laws on regulating GMOs are more comprehensive than any you can get on the planet, but do you know how many lawsuits have gone against Monsanto in America alone?
Don't we have strong laws against corruption in Ghana, and isn't corruption (judgment debt, SADA, AGEEDA, GNPC DRILL SHIP SALE,etc), on the rise everyday? Who has gone to prison for any of the above violations?
The fact hat we have protocols and GMO regulatory laws don't mean anything. Enforcement is the issue. Real knowledge involved in GMOs is another. Monsanto doesn't share that with us.
Even with all the protocols and GM regulatory laws in America, GMOs have still managed to get into the food chain which we eat everyday.
Plus, we don't have the scientists America, Europe, and Asia have. So don't oversiplify the issue.
My last question to you: Did you see the documentary Darwin's Nitghmare? Watch it, read NGOs reports on it, talk to Tanzanias, and report back to us.
Don't decive yourself.
GMO eater, and proud 10 years ago
Thank you for confirming for all of us in this thread that you're a moron. Your response is a non-sensical stream of consciousness that lacks any logic... much like the rest of your writing. I hope your boss can read this.
... read full comment
Thank you for confirming for all of us in this thread that you're a moron. Your response is a non-sensical stream of consciousness that lacks any logic... much like the rest of your writing. I hope your boss can read this.
And yes, I have lived in Tanzania and Uganda for 5 years. EVERYONE eats Nile Perch. I'm not saying it didn't have negative environmental consequences, but it literally has nothing to do with GMOs.
Francis Kwarteng 10 years ago
Hello,
Does it have to take you that long to finally come around to what I have been have saying?
I raised tons of questions and you answered none.
Plus, saying you have lived in Tanzania and Uganda didn't answer ... read full comment
Hello,
Does it have to take you that long to finally come around to what I have been have saying?
I raised tons of questions and you answered none.
Plus, saying you have lived in Tanzania and Uganda didn't answer any of the questions I raised. I could as well have told you I have lived in Uganda and Tanzania.
I still insist most Nile Perch are shipped to Europe. Read the United Nations reports on this.
Watch the documentary, read scholarly reports on the question, and tell us what you found.
I shall not respond to any of your comments if you fail to do this simple assignment.
Sadly, you didn't respond to any of the questions I raised?
What is wrong with our educational system? What kind of graduates are our educational system chutning out?
Dia 10 years ago
If GMOs are so good why are their makers kicking against their being labelled?
If GMOs are so good why are their makers kicking against their being labelled?
A CONCERN CITIZEN 10 years ago
Monsanto Brings High Yields—And More Cancer—to Argentina
By Willy Blackmore | Takepart.com 14 hours ago Takepart.com
Since welcoming Monsanto into the country in 1996, Argentina has become the world’s third largest s ... read full comment
Monsanto Brings High Yields—And More Cancer—to Argentina
By Willy Blackmore | Takepart.com 14 hours ago Takepart.com
Since welcoming Monsanto into the country in 1996, Argentina has become the world’s third largest soybean producer. The country’s farm belt continues to pump out commodity crops like soy, corn and cotton at an impressive rate with the help of not just commonplace herbicides such as glyphosate, but highly toxic substances like 2,4,D—otherwise known as Agent Orange.
For the 12 million residents of the farm-centric districts of the South American country, the increase in yields and acreage has come at a very high cost. According to a lengthy story from the Associated Press, lax oversight and regulation, misuse, resistance, and poor safety measures have lead to mass exposure of Argentines who work or live nearby farms.
As yields have gone up, so have the rates of birth defects and cancer.
In Santa Fe, cancer rates are two times to four times higher than the national average. In Chaco, birth defects quadrupled in the decade after biotechnology dramatically expanded farming in Argentina.
From kids getting dusted with pesticides while swimming in a backyard pool, just over 300 feet from a nearby soy field, to the skeletal frame of a farmworker Fabian Tomasi, ravaged by a neurological disorder, who mixed “millions of liters of poison without any kind of protection,” the story presents a bleak image of Argentina’s farm boom.
"They told me that the water made this happen because they spray a lot of poison here,” Silvia Achaval, whose daughter was born disabled and with extensive organ problems, told the AP. "People who say spraying poison has no effect, I don't know what sense that has because here you have the proof," her child.
Facts Please 10 years ago
Poor pesticide handling practices has nothing to do with GMOs. Farmers definitely need equipment and training in safe use and handling, but do not confuse the issue. GMOs have not been shown to cause the disorders mentioned ... read full comment
Poor pesticide handling practices has nothing to do with GMOs. Farmers definitely need equipment and training in safe use and handling, but do not confuse the issue. GMOs have not been shown to cause the disorders mentioned in this blurb.
francis kwarteng 10 years ago
Dear Facts Please,
Please clarify the facts for us since there are GM fertilizers.
On the other hand, you have a poin there.
Thanks.
Dear Facts Please,
Please clarify the facts for us since there are GM fertilizers.
On the other hand, you have a poin there.
Thanks.
Facts Please 10 years ago
There is literally no such thing as a GM Fertilizer. You are as misinformed in this, as you are in the rest of your article.
There is literally no such thing as a GM Fertilizer. You are as misinformed in this, as you are in the rest of your article.
Dia 10 years ago
You may wish to read the Serralini study if you have not done so. Also remember a farmer in France sued for damamges i.e. being harmed by pesticides and won.
You may wish to read the Serralini study if you have not done so. Also remember a farmer in France sued for damamges i.e. being harmed by pesticides and won.
francis kwarteng 10 years ago
Thanks,
I hope some of the misinfomed on this forum will read your piece.
Thanks.
Thanks,
I hope some of the misinfomed on this forum will read your piece.
WE DONT NEED GMO. THE NORTH AMERICCAN USE HUNGER AS AN EXCUSE TO INTRODUCE GMO FOODS. THIS IS FALSE. THEY SIMPLY WANT TO CARRY THRU WITH THIS GMO FOOLISHNESS BCOS IT WILL GET MORE PPL SICK. THE HOSPITALS AND DOCTORS WILL BE T ...
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Speak brother.
Bro, the GMO thing is not simply or merely foolishness, it is actually a very dangerous proposition whose only ultimate interest is not to feed human beings but to make a few people extremely rich.
Europe and America, the ...
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Symbiosis,
Yes, if they care so much about hunger, why do they (America, Europe) throw away tons of food away every year?
I remember taking an economics class in New York in 2008 when I raised your question.
Accordi ...
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I am trying to be curious. Are you the Kwarteng I know from Dansoman-Sahara, formerly of Accra Academy and KNUST? And do you remember "Let's say let's say let's say"? You know what I mean?
Yes,
I know what you mean!
Yes,it's about leadership !
It's pitiful why and how African leadership especially Ghana are not able to reject glaring
destructive economic prescriptions by those world bodies.Sometimes I ask myself, if the African leaders ...
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In order to argue coherently against the GM lobby, which is one of the most powerful in the world (what with Monsanto pouring limitless sums into the lobbyists' pockets) please try not to cover too much ground. Focus on the E ...
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we must not profligate our natural resources. Fruit trees provide shade, improve the air, beautify the landscape and provide a long term solution to hunger.
Africa is in danger of becoming the dumping ground for the struggling GM industry and the laboratory for frustrated scientists so say the opponents of GM. The proponents of GM technology say it will revolutionize the green in ...
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GMO's ARE VERY BAD. THE PEOPLE OF MONSANTO WILL NOT EAT THEIR OWN GMO'S . THEY WILL ALWAYS MAKE THINGS SOUND GOOD AS THEIR POISONING THE FOODS WITH BUILT IN PESTICIDES IN THE GMO FOODS. NATURALNEWS.COM FOR INFO WE ALL NEED...
Your pal, Nii Ashitey, has said it clearly - a moratorium on the commercialization of GM foods until we are all very sure. I take this to mean a no to GM foods in Africa.
The surprising thing is that these countries advis ...
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Media Mogul,
Good morning. I have one more article on genetically modified food.
It's titled "Fighting Genetically Modified Technology In Ghana: A Few More Practical Solutions."
I have already sent that in for publi ...
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Dont bother to send any complaints to the editor of Ghanaweb bcos nothing will come out of it and it will not serve anybody any useful purposes. I myself have suffered from their inconsistencies and after several complaints, ...
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Kponyo is right that nothing will come out of a complaint to ghanaweb but I urge you to do it still. And don't forget to send your pieces to modernghana.com too. They treat you far better and allow you to format your own arti ...
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Media Mogul,
Thanks.
Do you remember my tribute to Prof. Kofi Awoonor?
864 people have so far read it on Modernghaha.com (as opposed to the 80 or so on Ghanaweb, where most of the comments were instults, anyway). Not ...
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Yes, modernghana provides good statistics available only for the author who posts her own articles. But note that the "Hits" column does not indicate those who have "read" the article. It only records those who have "hit" the ...
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Media Mogul,
What if one-fourth of the 864 hit on the article and actually read it?
That would be 200 (if we round the 864 to 800).
Moreover, most of the fruitful emails I have received have come from readers who ha ...
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Yes, I do. I just don't want you to equate hits with real reading. If you had access to the number of hits your articles make on ghanaweb, you will see it surpasses by far those on other sites. So many people read them on gha ...
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Dear Kponyo,
Good day.
Thanks for your concern.
Stay blessed!
These are the stuff worth reading on ghanaweb. Keep writing Francis and I hope our politicians are are taking notes. Good stuff!
Papillion you mean you still make respectable reference to politicians in this country? What is it that makes you think that these ungrateful scoundrels (a synonym for our local politicians)can or would wish or want to improv ...
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The world produces enough food tp feed it's population, we do not need GMO to feed the world, never believe those lies that GMO is here to help feed the word. waht the world need is money to buy the food. Even with the GMO, w ...
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Charles,
You have raised another important point we have to cosider: Money. That's what no one wants to talk about.
It's nly Monsanto and the tax master (America) who are interested in talking about money.
They wil ...
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Did you really just use Nile perch (which is consumed everywhere around Lake Victoria, not exported) and Syphilis to lead this story? Wow, way to keep things relevant and well-thought out. This article is another in a serie ...
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Totally agree. This guy is out of his mind and a poor writer to boot.
Let's support our farmers and our scientists to use productivity enhancing technologies responsibly. We will not be scared by crazy people like Kwarte ...
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So why write the way you did if you are not scared!Kwarteng sought to educate, enlighten and warn us.
Hello,
Mr. Whatever you call yourself, what helpful facts did you give us in your comments? None. Not one.
Next, which planet do you live on? Why are most people in the West rejecting GMOs? Why have Western countries re ...
read full comment
Thank you for confirming for all of us in this thread that you're a moron. Your response is a non-sensical stream of consciousness that lacks any logic... much like the rest of your writing. I hope your boss can read this.
...
read full comment
Hello,
Does it have to take you that long to finally come around to what I have been have saying?
I raised tons of questions and you answered none.
Plus, saying you have lived in Tanzania and Uganda didn't answer ...
read full comment
If GMOs are so good why are their makers kicking against their being labelled?
Monsanto Brings High Yields—And More Cancer—to Argentina
By Willy Blackmore | Takepart.com 14 hours ago Takepart.com
Since welcoming Monsanto into the country in 1996, Argentina has become the world’s third largest s ...
read full comment
Poor pesticide handling practices has nothing to do with GMOs. Farmers definitely need equipment and training in safe use and handling, but do not confuse the issue. GMOs have not been shown to cause the disorders mentioned ...
read full comment
Dear Facts Please,
Please clarify the facts for us since there are GM fertilizers.
On the other hand, you have a poin there.
Thanks.
There is literally no such thing as a GM Fertilizer. You are as misinformed in this, as you are in the rest of your article.
You may wish to read the Serralini study if you have not done so. Also remember a farmer in France sued for damamges i.e. being harmed by pesticides and won.
Thanks,
I hope some of the misinfomed on this forum will read your piece.
Thanks.
A comprehensive coverage and excellent piece !