SADC must support and strengthen genetically modified organism detection laboratories to curb the influx of undesirable GMO products and enhance the capacity of the region to verify the GM content of food imports and exports, scientists said yesterday.
Top scientific experts from nine Sadc countries said this at the start of a three-day workshop titled: ‘GMO Detection: Current Capacities, Needs and Gaps in Southern Africa.’
"At the Sadc regional level such competencies are essential to deter any unjustified inflows and exports of GMOs that are deemed undesirable for any use," said Mr Andrew Mushita, the board chairperson of the Regional Agricultural and Environmental Initiatives Network.
Lack of resources and technical support for GMO detection in laboratories across the Sadc region is stalling efforts to successfully implement the Cartagena Protocol, an international instrument for the conservation of biodiversity, minimisation of biological contamination and control of transboundary movement of GMOs.
"Most of the countries in the region do not have the capacity to test for GMOs. It's critical for the region to establish a network for GMO detection laboratories to help scientists share information and knowledge on GMOs," said Mrs Doreen Shumba-Mnyulwa, Regional Director for RAEIN-Africa.
"We want Sadc countries to support this network to help scientists in the region to have a platform to share experiences and empower each other. This will also help countries in the region to implement the Cartagena Protocol which they signed."
The workshop was jointly organised by RAEIN-Africa, the Free State University and the Tobacco Research Board of Zimbabwe to discuss challenges facing GMO testing laboratories and to establish the Southern Africa Network for GMO Laboratories.
Prof Chris Viljoen of the University of Free State said the capacity of the Sadc region to detect GMO was still very weak and governments must move with speed to support GMO detection laboratories within the region.
"The coming together of scientists from nine Sadc countries is important because of the growing acceptance of the reality of GMOs. Africa must not be a dumping ground for GMO food. It must have the right to choose the food it wants to consume. We have a right to choose what we should eat,"he said.
GMOs, he said, have serious implications on the region's capacity to trade and meet standards for GMO content set by countries in the European Union and other industrialised countries.
"Sadc countries need to retain their export competitiveness by enhancing their capacity to detect GMO content of food imports and exports. Markets in the EU are very sensitive to GMO issues and we must strengthen the capacity of scientists in the region to carry out tests."
Major challenges identified by the scientists on GMO detection included — lack of technical support for GMO detection labs, lack of co-ordination among scientists, lack of guidelines for best practices, lack of mechanisms to facilitate training, lack of proficiency appraisal of labs and lack of general documents pertaining to GMO detection.
"We need to develop our own mechanisms to validate GMO detection methods. Africa must not be a follower but also become a leader in GMO detection,"said Prof Viljoen.
In the Sadc region, only South Africa has commercialised the production of GMO crops. Scientists say there is a growing influx of GMO products in the region from South Africa and industrialised nations such as the United States, Canada and other western countries which often donate food aid to drought prone parts of the region.
Participants were drawn from Botswana, Malawi, Mozambique, Namibia, Swaziland, Tanzania, South Africa, Zambia and Zimbabwe.
