BY KWANELE TSABEDZE
MBABANE – The Eswatini Environment Authority has declared that farmers now need permission to plant GMOs crops in the country. GMO stands for genetically modified organisms.
The new announcement was made based on the BioSafety Act of 12 which states that seeds which may be detrimental to the environment may not be cultivated directly to the earth.
According to the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) GMOs have become the common term consumers and popular media use to describe a plant, animal or microorganism that has had its genetic material (DNA) altered through a process called genetic engineering.
The genetic engineering strengthens some of the traits of the organism (like size or resistance to diseases) and weakens some traits in the organism.
Environmental Information Officer in the EEA Belusile Mhlanga said as they pointed out, what happened was that farmers procured GMO seeds without knowing the laws of the country.
“As such, it is just to remind farmers that it is important to get the approval that you can use those seeds, and even buy them,” said Mhlanga.
Mhlanga noted that one of the dangers with these seeds is that they would affect other crops in the cultivating environment. She mentioned that the law protects farmers from this, such that a farmer could open a legal case against the seller or user of GMOs which negatively affect other crops in the farm.
As the cultivating season begins, the Environmental Information Officer urged all farmers to visit their website where people could get the Biosafety Act which details and everything they needed to know about the regulations and research around GMOs.
