The 2016 annual report on
[www.isaaa.org] Global
Status of Commercialized Biotech/GM Crops (ISAAA Brief 52) has been launched
in Cameroon and Malawi. The report was also virtually launched in Nairobi,
Kenya on June 13, 2017.

In Cameroon, the report was presented during the African Biosafety Service
Providers coordination meeting in Yaounde on May 4, 2017 and attended by
workshop participants and 10 Cameroonian journalists. It was presided over
by Dr. David Mbah, Executive Secretary of the Cameroon Academy of Sciences.
Dr. Mbah said that the country "chose biotech cotton trials as a starting
point so that people get a chance to see that there is nothing to fear
because the scientific and regulatory process is rigorous." He added that
once Cameroonians had confidence in the technology, more
[www.isaaa.org] biotech
crops will be introduced in the country.

In Malawi, Dr. Albert Changaya, Controller of Agricultural Extension and
Technical Services urged the journalists to "convey messages based on
scientific evidence and facts so that governments can hasten decision
making." He allayed fears on GM crops, stating that the technology provided
a viable tool in improving agricultural productivity. The launch took place
on June 7, 2017 during a regional media training workshop organized by
Malawi's Department of Agricultural Research Services, COMESA and ISAAA. It
was attended by 40 journalists from Malawi, Swaziland, Zambia, and Zimbabwe,
who also had an opportunity to visit a
<[www.isaaa.org]
load/biotech-crop-annual-update-cotton-2016.pdf> Bt cotton varietal trial in
Central Malawi. "We believe in our scientists and we have seen the prospects
of Bt cotton, which is producing more than 30 bolls compared to just 6-8
bolls per plant you saw in our farmers from traditional cotton" lamented
Jennifer, a cotton farmer in Chitala. "Farmers are the best judges and will
be the first to reject the technology if it does not deliver. What they need
is the opportunity to practically make that decision," said Dr. Getachew
Belay, COMESA's Senior Biotechnology Policy Adviser. Malawi granted its
first environmental release approval for Bt cotton in 2016.

For Africa, 2016 was the 19th year of commercialization of biotech crops. A
total of 13 countries, up from 11 in 2015 either planted, conducted trials
or transitioned to granting
[www.isaaa.org] approvals for general
release of various
[www.isaaa.org] biotech
crops. South Africa and Sudan grew a total of 2.8 million hectares of
biotech crops out of the 185.1 million hectares grown worldwide.

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