Genetically Modified Organisms are not the silver bullet to ensuring global food security, Kenya Plant Health Inspectorate Service - Kephis Managing Director Chagema Kedera has said.
Kedera says globally, countries should tread with care as they incorporate GMO technology in their production systems.
Whereas genetically modified organisms are not commercially available in the country, he cautions that it would be best if incoming technology is based on the ability for the country to effectively utilize it instead of having to take in the kind of technology that will not be sustainable as a solution to food security constraints.
"We are a net importer of food and this puts us in challenging position, but we are doing our best to test every import to ensure that what ends up in the public domain is not genetically modified, but conventional commodities," he said.
But this is not all, he says, and wonders whether it would be right for Kenyans to remain in comfort zones with conventional food instead of GMO food that has been tested for efficacy.
Kedera notes that good production using conventional methods has not yielded maximum production, still genetically modified production could be a challenge.
"Looking at our production systems, conventional production is supposed to earn us 40 bags of maize per hectare, we still produce less than this, how sure can we be that if we started using genetically modified systems of production we shall actualize the 100 bags per hectare myth?" he asked.
Genetically modified organisms are the types of food and animals that are altered genetically to develop useful traits that organic creatures do not have.
According to research, by genetically modifying the plants and animals, you can have stronger and more human-friendly plants and animals than the naturally grown organisms.
They are naturally immune to pests, and other undesirable plants are extinguished by the mere presence of these plants.
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