Ghana begins testing for GM cotton production

Read Article

Comments (22)

This article is closed for comments.

Read Comments Comments (22)

CY 10 years ago

Ghana please research what happened to Indian cotton farmers and other case studies, before it is too late to reverse any known implications economically, legally and politically.

Ghana please research what happened to Indian cotton farmers and other case studies, before it is too late to reverse any known implications economically, legally and politically.
Nana Akyea Mensah, The Odikro. 10 years ago

OFFICE OF THE ODIKRO
a companion of the black star!

It is a pity the GM lobby have resorted to hiring the services of any Tom, Dick and Adomah, to churn out such nonsense!

What has the Biodiversity Act got to do with t ...
read full comment

OFFICE OF THE ODIKRO
a companion of the black star!

It is a pity the GM lobby have resorted to hiring the services of any Tom, Dick and Adomah, to churn out such nonsense!

What has the Biodiversity Act got to do with the approval of GM field trials by the National Biosafety Committee?

Adomah writes:

"Ghana’s National Biosafety Committee (NBC) gave the approval to conduct such tests following the promulgation of the country’s Biosafety Act, 2011 (Act 831)."

The Biosafety Act calls for the establishment of a National Biosafety Authority which is yet to be inaugurated!

But even more nonsensical is the unsubstantiated and wild claim that "advocates of the GM technology believe that the adoption of GM cultivation would have significant benefits for farmers, consumers as well as the environment"!

What are the benefits of cancerous tumours, organ damage, and premature death, that consumers risk as a result of dependence on GM crops as the main source of food in the long run?

what are the benefits of pollution, increase in the use of stronger doses of pesticides, herbicides, and the emergence of super-weeds and super-bugs?

The only sure benefits that come out of the use of GMOs are the profits of these 419 companies that sell them! and perhaps the kick-backs given to cheap journalists like this writer, politicians, and the scientists who act as their local agents!

the National Biosafety Committee appears to be saddled with compromised individuals with serious conflicts of interests, otherwise, who in his right senses would champion such a silly cause?

Ghanaians must resist this in the same way we resisted Apartheid, Colonialism, and Slavery! The monopolization of our food by foreign multinational corporations just for them to make profits and control our lives is not a benefit!

Forward Ever! Backwards Never!!!

Sincerely,
Pur'gu Saarpe!, Esq.,
Secretary to The Odikro.
Abudu i adam 10 years ago

What what a disgraceful leadership in the Ghanaian Elite, Do you understand your silly actions, taken to produce GM cotton and impact to future generations. The North Westerly winds will blow the pollen accross the length & b ...
read full comment

What what a disgraceful leadership in the Ghanaian Elite, Do you understand your silly actions, taken to produce GM cotton and impact to future generations. The North Westerly winds will blow the pollen accross the length & breadth of Ghana to contaminate the natural food spiecies.

GM seeds are self germinating that means every year farmers will be at tthe of the seed companies to buy sseeds for planting.

NKPA John Mahama , President of Ghana , why sell Ghana for a farthing to Western mafia companies.

The Minister of Agriculture MUST BE SACKED AND THE WHOLE PROGRAM ABOLISHED .

ITS A DISGRACE AND AN ACT OF SABOTAGE
Raphael Obu-MSC Prostate Cancer . 10 years ago

This is insanity in the part of our so call big men. But did they consult with the experts in the medical field? Are the advocates of buy made in Ghana goods aware of this development? If they are not aware then i challenge ...
read full comment

This is insanity in the part of our so call big men. But did they consult with the experts in the medical field? Are the advocates of buy made in Ghana goods aware of this development? If they are not aware then i challenged everyone who is health conscious to read this articleby the editors ofPure Health MD. According to them food that is genetically modified means that the original DNA structure has been changed. You can also review the books by one of the leading investigators in the area Jeffrey Smith :He has authored a book : Seed of deception and genetic Roulette: The documented health Risks of Genetically engineered foods. He leads a group called the institute for Responsible Technology that supports healthy food choices. According to him GMO health risk in animals include-infant mortality and low birth weights in offspring rats, damaged sperm cells in offspring mice, altered DNA functioning in offspring mice, sterility or infertility problems in pigs and cows fed GM corn, fertility problems, premature births, abortions, death and other health issues in buffaloes, bleeding stomachs, damaged organs and immune systems, kidney inflammation, problems with blood and liver cells, potential precancerous cell growth. Between1994 and 2001-the same time that GMO'S flooded the market-food related illness DOUBLED. Gmos food can be ,Allergenic, Toxic, Carcinogenic and anti-nutritional. Well since our so call big have started lets what will come up with this. Remember we are all leaving in it. If you think you are a big Tree,You are a small ASS. You can also read the WHAT EVERYMAN MUST KNOW BEFORE AND AFTER 4OYEARS-PROSTATE HEALTH. Available at St johns General hospital-Tantra hills.In Ghana ,the men are battling with prostate cancer and low sperm count not to talk of premature ejaculation and low sexual performance. The young ladies are also battling with uterine fibroid , fertility issues and Breast cancers. So why do this our big men?
MENSAH 10 years ago

We better be careful of what we ask for.
We tend to follow blindly in some fields,without taking much precaution.
GHANA HAS TO LOOK BEFORE WE LEAP.

We better be careful of what we ask for.
We tend to follow blindly in some fields,without taking much precaution.
GHANA HAS TO LOOK BEFORE WE LEAP.
GHFUO, change ur thinking 10 years ago

Ghana is NOW like Haiti!!! There was only one airport in Haiti and when the disaster strucked,aid donors HAD it so hard to send humanritan reliefs because the only one international airport
was destroyed. just imagining if ...
read full comment

Ghana is NOW like Haiti!!! There was only one airport in Haiti and when the disaster strucked,aid donors HAD it so hard to send humanritan reliefs because the only one international airport
was destroyed. just imagining if Ghana is not the same as Haiti!! Building one international airport in Kumasi has turn into a tribal politics!!#
President John Dramani Mahama has added a whopping GHc15.6 billion to Ghana’s total public debt stock since being sworn into office as caretaker and substantive president within the period from July 2012 to August 2013.
This implies that President John Mahama has contracted a total of GHc15.6 billion of debt for Ghanaians since becoming the President of Ghana.
WHAT DO WE HAVE TO SHOW FOR ALL THIS DEBT? WHO VOTED FOR NDC? GO N CLAIM YOUR SHARE....
Moses Bamanda 10 years ago

Your father is the fool. It is a pity you don't even know who your father really is. Bastard!Ask your mother who really is your father before your spew thrash on the web. NPP can burn the sea because the lost elections. Idiot ...
read full comment

Your father is the fool. It is a pity you don't even know who your father really is. Bastard!Ask your mother who really is your father before your spew thrash on the web. NPP can burn the sea because the lost elections. Idiots! I am not a politician but I hate the NPP for what they do in the media, if you don't support their party you are insulted. I will never be swayed by insults, except the stomach political boot lickers such as the fanatics of the terrorists' party.
Food Sovereignty Ghana 10 years ago

Genetically Engineered Bt Cotton In Ghana: The Hidden Agenda Exposed

by Food Sovereignty Ghana

After several years of apparent short term success in Burkina Faso of Bt cotton in increasing yields, and improving profits ...
read full comment

Genetically Engineered Bt Cotton In Ghana: The Hidden Agenda Exposed

by Food Sovereignty Ghana

After several years of apparent short term success in Burkina Faso of Bt cotton in increasing yields, and improving profits of small scale cotton farmers, authorities in Ghana have decided to go down the same road. Ghana’s National Biosafety Committee (NBC) has just approved field tests of GE rice in the Ashanti Region, and GE cotton field tests at 6 different locations in the Northern Region. Bt is bacillus thuringiensis, a pesticide used to control bollworms in cotton, and stem borers in rice.

Why is Ghana looking only to the short term gains of Burkina? Why not also look at the much longer term experience of Bt cotton in India, China, the USA, and Indonesia? In all of these countries, there is evidence of huge problems arising from Bt crops after the first few years. There is an alarming record of growing dependency on agribusiness corporations, reduced profits, increasing debt of small scale farmers, and major environmental safety hazards. Is Ghana naively following bad advice from agribusiness corporations and their NGO and diplomatic agents?

Currently, West Africa has the enviable record of producing some of the best cotton in the world with the least use of pesticides and without genetic engineering. Introducing Bt cotton will put this at risk. Cotton and rice farmers in Ghana can easily recount the constraints limiting their production and profits. But none of these priority problems can be solved by introducing highly controversial GE hybrid seeds.

Potential demand by farmers is not driving this recent action by the Biosafety Committee. There is another, quite hidden, agenda pushing Ghana down the GE road. The so-called success of Bt cotton in Burkina is only being used as a pretext for this agenda.

The start of field trials for Bt crops in Ghana is highly alarming because there is no scientific evidence supporting the long term safety of genetically engineered (GE) crops. ‘Closed’ field trials on research stations are no guarantee of preventing Bt contamination when wind and birds spread pollen laced with insecticide genes. What seems likely as a major factor pushing this highly risky venture is that the Biosafety Committee has been influenced by outside forces.

The risks Ghana is taking by starting down the GE road are many. Bt cotton and Bt rice have the pesticide Bt in every cell of the plant, including the pollen. There is some evidence suggesting that inhaling Bt pollen can sicken people and livestock, and in some cases even cause death, as happened in Mindanao in the Philippines. There are reports that thousands of sheep in India were killed after grazing on the fields of Bt cotton after harvest. And in both Germany and India, cows eating Bt crops have died. Bt infected pollen can drift far and wide, pollinating normal crops, contaminating them with the Bt altered genes. Transgenic proteins, the proteins transferred from one species to another by GE technology, can potentially cause serious immune reactions including allergies. This is a serious public health issue; and warrants an immediate ban on GM crops, including field trials, until proper assessment on the immune potential of all the transgenic proteins has been carried out.

Bt cotton also has a devastating effect on the soil, because the insecticide gene destroys vital microbial organisms, bacteria, and enzymes. A decade of planting with GM cotton, or any GM crop with Bt genes in it, could lead to total destruction of soil organisms, leaving dead soil unable to produce food. Bt enters our soil, our air, and our water.

In light of all these reports, the question we Ghanaians need to ask ourselves is: ‘Do we want to eat, breath, and drink Bt? Do we want to eat animals that have been eating, breathing, and drinking Bt?’

It is highly unfortunate that key scientists involved do not seem concerned by these issues. Dr. Emmanuel Chamba, Plant Breeder and Principal Investigator for Bt Cotton research at the CSIR-Savanna Agric. Research Institute (SARI), Nyankpala, Tamale, seems preoccupied only by finding ways to control cotton’s two main insect pests, Bollworm complex and Sucking pests. And these, he indicated can be well taken care of by the Bt cotton.

But even on this narrow basis, the record of other countries is a savage contradiction to his words. Burkina Faso’s example only shows that the first few years of Bt cotton crops may be a success. But longer term experience in India, China and the US provide strong evidence that the insects soon develop resistance. Also, secondary pests, that before caused little or no damage, soon become major problems. The agrochemical companies then genetically engineer plants with stronger toxins. After the first few years the cotton farmers find they have to treat their fields more frequently with more and stronger chemicals. They enter a cycle of more expensive seeds, more pesticides, and more debt. They are required by contract to buy new seed each year along with the accompanying chemical fertilizers and pesticides. In the US and India this has led to a cycle of debt in which the agrochemical company eventually seizes the farmer’s land to pay the debt, leaving the farmer with nothing.

These are the grave risks that the Biosafety Committee decision is bringing to Ghana. Are the potential short term benefits of Bt crops worth these multiple risks? What are the lessons we need to learn from what happened in other countries? Even leaving aside the biosafety hazards, and regarding only production, in India, there is a striking correlation in the areas where Bt cotton is widely grown, and a dramatic increase in the rate of farmer suicides, many thousands per month. In most cases the farmers committing suicide have lost their farms due to a cycle of debt they incurred to buy new seed and pesticides, and negative income due to crop failures. Many attribute the huge price increase of cotton seed, which has gone up 8000% in India since Bt seed was introduced, as a contributing factor to farmer suicides.

In many countries, Bt cotton has proven subject to other crop diseases, particularly virus wilt. Farmers in the US and China have found whole fields wilting and when they pull up the plant there are almost no roots. Nothing can be done but destroy the entire field. Even in Burkina Faso, touted as a success story, farmers have been unhappy with the short fibers produced by Bt cotton. Most West African cotton has the highly desirable long fibers. In 2012 there was talk of stopping Bt cotton production completely in Burkina Faso. For now there are reports of a resort to the use of traditional seeds again, and a sharp decline from 70% to 40% of the land surface previously occupied by Bt cotton. So much for the so-called Burkina success story!

Dr. Margaret Ottah Atikpo, of the CSIR Crop Research Institute, stated that if the trials being conducted for genetically modified rice at Fumesua proves successful it will enable Ghana to grow rice that is nitrogen and water efficient as well as salt tolerant. ‘So that where the soils are poor, it doesn’t matter, it is supposed to thrive. You can grow it where you don’t have swamps and even where there is salt in the soil you can grow it,’ she stressed.

However, Bt rice is supposed to help kill insect pests. But in Ghana, insect damage in rice is not a major problem faced by rice farmers. Moreover, Bt rice has nothing to do with what Dr Atikpo is saying about drought tolerance, and nitrogen efficiency. She is reciting the mantra the GE interests have promoted for over 20 years. But there is not yet any widespread example of success of GE crops being more drought resistant, much less significant increases in nitrogen efficiency.

To the contrary, all evidence to date indicates that GE crops need to be coddled with the special chemicals the agrochemical companies have designed for them. Most need more water rather than less. And most need steady and reliable irrigation and are unable to depend on rainwater. They are less likely to tolerate floods or drought, or secondary pests and diseases, than conventional varieties.

GE crops engineered with Bt are seldom used to feed people. They are mostly used for animal feed at present. A recent Australian study shows pigs fed a Bt corn and soy diet have inflamed stomachs and the females have enlarged uteruses. Rats fed GE corn over their lifespan develop enormous tumours. Do Ghanaians want to be human guinea pigs for Bt crops in humans?

Dr. Stephen Amoah, a research scientist at CSIR, Kumasi, says Ghana’s agricultural production is beset with a myriad of constraints. ‘These include declining soil fertility, pests, diseases, low yields of crops, drought, floods, post-harvest losses among others” He neglects to mention that over time all of these become greater problems with GE crops. Even though Ghana has increased food production in recent years, this has been by expanding land under cultivation. He worries about inadequate land to feed Ghana’s people.

There are many proven techniques that multiply productivity on very small areas of land, as the recent trend in urban agriculture, and work with agroecology science and farming systems research is demonstrating. These have nothing to do with genetic engineering. Seeds alone do not determine crop productivity. They are a contributing factor, but there are many more factors involved. This is why it is highly beneficial to ensure farmers have access to many varieties of seed, and grow a diversity of crops.

Farmers’ choice among the most appropriate varieties of seed is something the genetic engineers are trying to stamp out with their patented seeds and exclusive contracts. The giant agrochemical companies promoting their GMO varieties in Ghana are using their influence, and money, to divert Ghanaian scientists and politicians away from much more relevant approaches to agricultural science and food security, in their pursuit of profits.

The priority need of Ghanaian farmers is not GE seeds. The only people who need genetically engineered crops are the foreign agrochemical companies and their stockholders who profit from the monopoly sales of these products, with no regard for the human misery and bio-contamination they will cause.

Ali-Masmadi Jehu-Appiah
Chairperson
FSG
MENSAH 10 years ago

Thank God Ghana has knowledgeable people like you whose insight is worth tapping into.
I believe our scientist will take a good look at your exhaustive information and do the right thing.
GOD BLESS YOU FOR YOUR TIME,PATRIOT ...
read full comment

Thank God Ghana has knowledgeable people like you whose insight is worth tapping into.
I believe our scientist will take a good look at your exhaustive information and do the right thing.
GOD BLESS YOU FOR YOUR TIME,PATRIOTIC ATTITUDE,LOVE AND CONCERN FOR GHANA AND HER CITIZENRY.
GHANA NEEDS SUCH GUYS TO BE ON THIS FORUM,SO WISDOM AND KNOWLEDGE COULD BE IMPARTED IN THE NAIVE,NARROW MINDED PEOPLE.
THANK YOU,BROTHER AND GOD BLESS YOU ONCE AGAIN.
GHFUO, change ur thinking 10 years ago

The new GM crops would include Bacillus Thuringiensis (BT) cotton as well as rice, cowpea and potato.

REALLY? NOTHIGN WRONG WITH GMO COTTON, BUT NOT GMO RICE, PEAS OR POTATO. THIS IS VERY DUMB. THIS WILL MAKE THE PPL SICK ...
read full comment

The new GM crops would include Bacillus Thuringiensis (BT) cotton as well as rice, cowpea and potato.

REALLY? NOTHIGN WRONG WITH GMO COTTON, BUT NOT GMO RICE, PEAS OR POTATO. THIS IS VERY DUMB. THIS WILL MAKE THE PPL SICK N INCUR HUGE DEMANDS N REVENUE ON OUR NHIS. IS THIS IS WAT THE GOVT OF GH SIGNED FOR IN RETURN FOR WBANK LOANS? LOOK, PPL IN NORTH AMERICA HAVE SEEN THE HEALTH RISKS ASSOCIATED WITH GMO RICE, POTATOES. THEY DONT EVEN EAT THESE AS MUCH ANYMORE. THE EU N RUSSIA WENT AGAINST GMO FOR THE SAME REASON. STUPID GH GOVT
Mobuto 10 years ago

The whole point is simple, lack of intelligence perishes people, we all as at now realize the black man has no brains, its a fact not fiction, you just have to accept it, this GMO research has failed every where, yet the man ...
read full comment

The whole point is simple, lack of intelligence perishes people, we all as at now realize the black man has no brains, its a fact not fiction, you just have to accept it, this GMO research has failed every where, yet the man of color is proud to have it. what can one expect from a bunch of lazy folks.
Uncle T 10 years ago

The usual emotional pronunciamentoe where it looks and sounds "intellectual" to kick against such topics. Are you living better and healthier than the Burkinabe or the South Africans? Poor you

The usual emotional pronunciamentoe where it looks and sounds "intellectual" to kick against such topics. Are you living better and healthier than the Burkinabe or the South Africans? Poor you
K Amoako 10 years ago

They poison farmers, poison farm workers, poison farm animals, poison the earth. Do you want poison cotton next to your skin? There is poison in every cell of the plant.

They poison farmers, poison farm workers, poison farm animals, poison the earth. Do you want poison cotton next to your skin? There is poison in every cell of the plant.
Araba 10 years ago

Are they testing the cultivation and also if the produce will be good/healthy for consumption? They need to eat it for 10yrs as part of their test. When they've gotten the cancers, birth deformities, etc, they'll think

Are they testing the cultivation and also if the produce will be good/healthy for consumption? They need to eat it for 10yrs as part of their test. When they've gotten the cancers, birth deformities, etc, they'll think
Food Sovereignty Ghana 10 years ago

GMO Foods – The FAQs

by Food Sovereignty Ghana

The American Academy of Environmental Medicine (AAEM) issued a statement on Genetically Modified Foods. “GM foods pose a serious health risk in the areas of toxicology ...
read full comment

GMO Foods – The FAQs

by Food Sovereignty Ghana

The American Academy of Environmental Medicine (AAEM) issued a statement on Genetically Modified Foods. “GM foods pose a serious health risk in the areas of toxicology, allergy and immune function, reproductive health, and metabolic, physiologic and genetic health.” Because GM foods pose a serious health risk the AAEM calls for a moratorium on all genetically modified foods.

What are the facts? The Non-GMO Shopping Guide has put together a list of FAQs, frequently asked questions and the answers to those questions, based on information in the AAEM statement. There has been no testing for safety of GMOs in the human diet. Testing and observation of animals fed GMOs reveal serious health problems including “infertility, immune dysregulation, accelerated aging, dysregulation of genes associated with cholesterol synthesis, insulin regulation, cell signaling, and protein formation, and changes in the liver, kidney, spleen and gastrointestinal system.” The AAEM cites the studies and calls for a GMO food moratorium.

1. What is a GMO?

According to the World Health Organization, Genetically Modified Organisms(GMOs) are “organisms in which the genetic material (DNA) has been altered in such a way that does not occur naturally.”

• A GMO (genetically modified organism) is the end product of a fusion of genes from different species to create one or more desired traits or features.
• The process is also known as Genetic Engineering (GE) or Genetic Modification (GM).

2. What is a gene?

• All living organisms are made up of cells.
• Each cell has a centre called a nucleus.
• Inside every nucleus are strings of DNA.
• Short chains of DNA are called genes.
• Genes operate finely-tuned complex networks that allow the processes of living organisms to happen in the right place and at the right time.

3. But haven’t growers been grafting trees, breeding animals, and hybridizing seeds for years?

Genetic engineering is completely different from traditional breeding and carries unique risks. In traditional breeding it is possible to mate a pig with another pig to get a new variety, but is not possible
to mate a pig with a potato or a mouse. Even when species that may seem to be closely related do succeed in breeding, the offspring are usually infertile—a horse, for example, can mate with a donkey, but the offspring (a mule) is sterile.

• Genetic modification breaks down the natural barriers between species, to create new organisms from a mix of genes from different species.
• The results are plants and animals with characteristics that you cannot obtain from natural processes such as grafting or crossbreeding.
• Such organisms bring with them unique risks.

4. How is genetic engineering done?

In order to breach these natural barriers and make possible the introduction of DNA from a different species, genetic engineers have to find ways to force the DNA from one organism into another. These
methods include:
• Using viruses or bacteria to “infect” animal or plant cells with the new DNA.
• Coating DNA onto tiny metal pellets, and firing it with a special gun into the cells.
• Injecting the new DNA into fertilized eggs with a very fine needle.
• Using electric shocks to create holes in the membrane covering sperm, and then forcing the new DNA into the sperm through these holes.

5. Is genetic engineering precise?

The technology of genetic engineering is currently very crude. It is not possible to insert a new gene with any accuracy, and the transfer of new genes can disrupt the finely controlled network of DNA in an organism.

Current understanding of the way in which DNA works is extremely limited, and any change to the DNA of an organism at any point can have side effects that are impossible to predict or control. The new gene could, for example, alter chemical reactions within the cell or disturb cell functions. This could lead to instability, the creation of new toxins or allergens, and changes in nutritional value.

6. What combinations have been tried?

It is now possible for plants to be engineered with genes taken from bacteria, viruses, insects, animals or even humans. Scientists have worked on some interesting combinations:

• Spider genes were inserted into goat DNA, in hopes that the goat milk would contain spider web protein for use in bulletproof vests.
• Cow genes turned pigskins into cowhides.
• Jellyfish genes lit up pigs’ noses in the dark.
• Arctic fish genes gave tomatoes and strawberries tolerance to frost.
• Potatoes that glowed in the dark when they needed watering.
• Human genes were inserted into corn to produce spermicide.
• Corn engineered with human genes (Dow)
• Sugarcane engineered with human genes (Hawaii Agriculture Research Center)
• Corn engineered with jellyfish genes (Stanford University)
• Tobacco engineered with lettuce genes (University of Hawaii)
• Rice engineered with human genes (Applied Phytologics)
• Corn engineered with hepatitis virus genes (Prodigene)

7. Does the biotech industry hold any promise?

• Genetic modification of plants is not the only biotechnology.
• The study of DNA does hold promise for many potential applications, including medicine.
• However, the current technology of GM foods is based on obsolete information and theory, and is prone to dangerous side effects.
• Economic interests have pushed it onto the market too soon.
• Moreover, molecular marker technologies – so called Marker Assisted Selection (MAS) used with conventional breeding shows much promise for developing improved crop varieties, without the potentially dangerous side effects of direct genetic modification.

8. What are the problems created through genetic engineering of food and crops?

• Genetic engineers continually encounter unintended side effects.
• GM plants create toxins, react to weather differently, contain too much or too little nutrients, become diseased or malfunction and die.
• When foreign genes are inserted, dormant genes may be activated or the functioning of genes altered, creating new or unknown proteins, or increasing or decreasing the output of existing proteins inside the
plant.
• The effects of consuming these new combinations of proteins are unknown.

9. Hasn’t research shown GM foods to be safe?

No. The only feeding study done with humans showed that GMOs survived inside the stomach of the people eating GMO food. No follow-up studies were done.

Various feeding studies in animals have resulted in potentially pre-cancerous cell growth, damaged immune systems, smaller brains, livers, and testicles, partial atrophy or increased density of the liver, odd shaped cell nuclei and other unexplained anomalies, false pregnancies and higher death rates.

The science supporting GMOs is outdated. Animal studies indicate serious health problems resulting from GMOs in the diet No testing has been done regarding GMO effects on humans or in the human diet. Commercial interests, rather than health and scientific interests are driving the push for GMOs. For these reasons, for the health and safety of all Ghanaians, for all the people of Africa and the world, Foods Sovereignty Ghana calls for a moratorium on GM crops, seeds, and food.

Duke Tagoe, Deputy Chairperson, FSG

for The Director, Research and Information Department,

Food Sovereignty Ghana

This information comes, with our gratitude and appreciation, from:
Non-GMO Shopping Guide – Why Should I Avoid GMOs

/www.nongmoshoppingguide.com/why-should-i-avoid-gmos.html
and is based on:
The American Academy of Environmental Medicine (AAEM) position paper on

Genetically Modified Foods
/www.aaemonline.org/gmopost.html

FURTHER READING:

World Health Organization. (Internet).(2002). Foods derived from modern technology: 20 questions on genetically modified foods. Available from: www.who.int/foodsafety/publications/biotech/20questions/en/index.php

Smith, JM. Genetic Roulette. Fairfield: Yes Books.2007. p.10

Freese W, Schubert D. Safety testing and regulation of genetically engineered foods. Biotechnology and Genetic Engineering Reviews. Nov 2004. 21.

Society of Toxicology. The safety of genetically modified foods produced through biotechnology. Toxicol. Sci. 2003; 71:2-8.

Hill, AB. The environment and disease: association or causation? Proceeding of the Royal Society of Medicine 1965; 58:295-300.

Finamore A, Roselli M, Britti S, et al. Intestinal and peripheral immune response to MON 810 maize ingestion in weaning and old mice. J Agric. Food Chem. 2008; 56(23):11533-11539.

Malatesta M, Boraldi F, Annovi G, et al. A long-term study on female mice fed on a genetically modified soybean:effects on liver ageing. Histochem Cell Biol. 2008; 130:967-977.

Velimirov A, Binter C, Zentek J. Biological effects of transgenic maize NK603xMON810 fed in long term reproduction studies in mice. Report-Federal Ministry of Health, Family and Youth. 2008.

Ewen S, Pustzai A. Effects of diets containing genetically modified potatoes expressing Galanthus nivalis lectin on rat small intestine.Lancet. 354:1353-1354.

Kilic A, Aday M. A three generational study with genetically modified Bt corn in rats: biochemical and histopathological investigation. Food Chem. Toxicol. 2008; 46(3):1164-1170.

Kroghsbo S, Madsen C, Poulsen M, et al. Immunotoxicological studies of genetically modified rice expression PHA-E lectin or Bt toxin in Wistar rats. Toxicology. 2008; 245:24-34.

Gurain-Sherman,D. 2009. Failure to yield: evaluating the performance of genetically engineered crops. Cambridge (MA): Union of Concerned Scientists.

Lofstedt R. The precautionary principle: risk, regulation and politics. Merton College, Oxford. 2002.
Food Sovereignty Ghana 10 years ago

Are We Becoming GMO Human Test Tubes?

GM Health Risk Week Sept 2-8

September 2-8 2013 has been designated GM Human Health Risk Week. It grew from the ideas of a number of concerned individuals and organizations, includ ...
read full comment

Are We Becoming GMO Human Test Tubes?

GM Health Risk Week Sept 2-8

September 2-8 2013 has been designated GM Human Health Risk Week. It grew from the ideas of a number of concerned individuals and organizations, including the Food Sovereignty Movement. GM Health Risk Week is a week of events and discussions examining health risks surrounding GM food.

GM-HealthWeek
GM Health Risk Week aims to:

1 Introduce new evidence which casts uncertainty over the safety of GM food

2 Begin a public debate around the risks and regulation of GM food

3 Highlight the results of a recent study by Prof Gilles-Eric Séralini, which found that rats fed with Monsanto’s GM NK603 maize and tiny amounts of Roundup pesticide suffered severe organ damage and increased risk of tumours and premature death.

Professor Seralini will be speaking in the UK during this week, discussing his research and findings. Professor Seralini found increased kidney and liver toxicity in rats fed GM maize leading to liver and kidney failure and premature death, especially in males. There was a general increase in tumors among the rats, especially mammary tumors. Females died prematurely from mammary tumors and pituitary dysfunction. You can find a summary of the findings and a link to Prof. Seralini’s full study here.

/gmoseralini.org/faq-items/what-were-the-studys-findings/

Pigs are particularly important study subjects because their physiology and metabolism, particularly their digestive tract, resembles human physiology and metabolism. Farmer Ib Pederson of Denmark says GM crops are not fit for pigs. When Farmer Ib switched to non-GM feed, he documented longer lifespans, and less defects in his pigs. His experience and observations are featured in the 9 minute film Stop the Crop, which you can watch at: youtube.com/watch?v=p6PDzIAZDfU

On RT SophieCo interviews Jeffrey Smith about the dangers of GMOs in the diet, in animal feed, and in the water and soil. He describes how Monsanto wants total control of the world seed supply through patented GM seeds, and how it systematically covers up grave GMO dangers. /rt.com/shows/sophieco/monsanto-control-gmo-danger-622/

Research on pigs by Dr. Judy Carman in Australia reveals that GMOs in the diet inflame the digestive tract. /gmojudycarman.org/ Dr. Carman and her team discovered a 25% increase in uterus weight in the female animals fed the GM diet as compared to the control group. In addition, GM fed male pigs were four times more likely to be afflicted with severe stomach inflammation, while females had more than double the risk of the control group. Pigs with these problems go into our food supply and we eat them.

So far there have been no studies of the effects of GMOs in the human diet. We are all the subjects of a giant experiment whose purpose is to make giant corporations richer, not to make human beings better fed or healthier.

Food Sovereignty Ghana has published GMO Foods – The FAQs and is continuing to research and publish more FAQs and more information about GMOs in our diet and our environment. Keep yourself informed about our food. Watch for our press releases in the news and follow them on the Food Sovereignty Ghana website. /foodsovereigntyghana.org/press-releases/

Nana Ama Amamoo
Director, Research and Information Department,
Food Sovereignty Ghana

Twitter: /twitter.com/FoodSovereignGH
Facebook: /www.facebook.com/FoodSovereigntyGhana
This entry was posted in Press Releases and Statements on September 2, 2013. Edit

See also:
? GMO Foods – The FAQs GMOs Genetically Modified Colonialism – The Fear of the Well Known ?
MENSAH 10 years ago

Thanks for all the good stuff given to us.
I wish our authority in the agricultural field might adhere to it and do the right thing,to avoid unwanted,unreasonable mistakes.

Thanks for all the good stuff given to us.
I wish our authority in the agricultural field might adhere to it and do the right thing,to avoid unwanted,unreasonable mistakes.
Kojo 10 years ago

Testing GM in Gh is like testing terrorism, corruption, violence, etc. All are of dire consequences. The only advantage of GM is it'll make Monsanto, etc rich & the have power us all. Why not improve organic farming? Oh, Gh!

Testing GM in Gh is like testing terrorism, corruption, violence, etc. All are of dire consequences. The only advantage of GM is it'll make Monsanto, etc rich & the have power us all. Why not improve organic farming? Oh, Gh!
Stern 10 years ago

GM in Ghana? The main agenda is greed, and to eventually wipe out small local farmers. It's happening now in America. The GM companies are being chased out of countries who see this danger. Some small scale farmers in India a ...
read full comment

GM in Ghana? The main agenda is greed, and to eventually wipe out small local farmers. It's happening now in America. The GM companies are being chased out of countries who see this danger. Some small scale farmers in India are presently experiencing the diabolical work of GM farming. The Ghana gov't need to research and fully understand dangers involved in GM side effects of GM crops. They begin with cotton, and will gradually move to all farm produce in Ghana. Ghana's crops are organic and must remain organic for the health of the people. Bigger economies can afford better health care for their people. Ghana can not. Please let's rise up against GM farming in Ghana. For more information and a movement to stop GM Farming, contact me at s_darxon@hotmail.com.
ghanaweepkng 10 years ago

This is the beginning of the tragic disappearanceof our Iindigenous seeds and the beginning of our food enslavement

This is the beginning of the tragic disappearanceof our Iindigenous seeds and the beginning of our food enslavement
Whatever 10 years ago

What would Nkrumah have said about this unwise move? is there a problem with the quality of our natural soil or farmers for us to swap it with foreign GM cultivation

What would Nkrumah have said about this unwise move? is there a problem with the quality of our natural soil or farmers for us to swap it with foreign GM cultivation
GMO IS POISON 10 years ago

GMO crops are poisonous, and the seeds of all GMO crops remain the property of MOSANTO a large powerful US multinational. They will use these seeds to controp Africa's food production. AFRICA SHOULD NEVER ALLOW THESE Poisonou ...
read full comment

GMO crops are poisonous, and the seeds of all GMO crops remain the property of MOSANTO a large powerful US multinational. They will use these seeds to controp Africa's food production. AFRICA SHOULD NEVER ALLOW THESE Poisonous genetic ally modified crops.. EVEN in the US there is large opposition to them... THe EU does not allow GMO.. WHY SHOULD WE ALLOW THEM TO MAKE US GUINEA PIGS HERE???

Ghana begins testing for GM cotton production

Read Comments .st0{display:none;fill:#14BDD3;} .st1{display:none;} .st2{display:inline;fill:#FC0F0F;} .st3{display:inline;fill:#FFFFFF;} .st4{display:inline;fill:none;stroke:#000000;stroke-width:6;stroke-miterlimit:10;} Comments (22)

Read Comments Comments (22)