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African NGOs Call For A Ban To Terminator Technology
BY: NJUALEM COLUMBUS
A group of African NGOs has strongly condemned the use
of Terminator technology to genetically modify harvested seeds and rendering
them sterile. The NGOs filed an appeal to UK Ministers urging them to oppose any moves to erode the global
moratorium of Terminator technology agreed under the Convention on Biodiversity (CBD) in2000. The appeal further advocates a complete ban of this technology.
This call comes prior to next month’s convention in Brazil where
delegates at the Convention of Parties of the CBD will be
tussling against Australia, Canada, New Zealand and the US government fighting for
the implementation of the controversial Terminator technology. Delegates of the CBDargue that allowing their counterparts views to weaken the global moratorium
on Terminator technology would pave its way into agriculture.
Terminator technology is a controversial technology that
was designed by biotech industry to render harvested seeds sterile and to
prevent farmers from saving their seeds, forcing them to buy new seeds every season.
The Terminator technology is a highly profitable venture
for the seeds production companies, but a painful invention that
reinforces poverty. It is also a technology that question’s the principles
of environmental protection and biodiversity conservation.
It is also argued that this technology is a threat to the achievement
of the Millennium Development Goal (MDGs) No.1 of Eradicating Extreme
Hunger by 2015.
In their clarion call for the ban of Terminator technology, the
African NGOs State “eight per cent of small farmers in Africa save
their seeds Enforced sterility in our seed would dramatically affect farming
and rural livelihoods across Africa. An end to seed saving would lead to
the disappearance of the genetic diversity our ancestors have left us and which
we have a responsibility to leave to future generation”
The terminator technology is increasingly witnessing protest. The former UK Environment Minister, Michael Meacher said after
a recent parliamentary briefing “ Terminator technology clearly demonstrates
that the claims made by biotech corporations about improving food security are
a falsehood. This technology is dangerous and threatens farmers and food
security all over the world”.
Terminator technology threatens African farmer’s rights
and other farmers around the world. However with subsidies and the
Common Agricultural Policy still alive in Europe, European farmers have little
to complain because their profits are always to a greater extend guaranteed.
Commercialising genetically modified seeds in Africa is considered an infringement of
basic human rights since it prevents farmers from saving, replanting and
exchanging seeds, practices going back thousands of years that are still essential to
food security.
Another disadvantage of this technology is that it doesn't, at
least for the moment guarantee the immune systems of the plants and
seeds. This implies poor farmers would ultimately depend on other expensive means
of using chemicals to regain their natural defences against pests and disease.
Terminator technology first came to light in March 1998.
The intriguing campaign adopted by its proponents (multinational food
and biotechnological corporations) was that these "suicide seeds"
were aimed at alleviating hunger for poor people and improving food security.
Today it is becoming increasingly clear that it is a plot by multinational food
and biotechnological corporations, armed with patent rights to maximise profits.
Rural Advancement Foundation International (RAFI), an international
organization based in Canada have joined other national
and international NGOs, critics and even agricultural institutions mostly in
the developing countries to contend that governments should take immediate
action to ban “terminator seeds”. The recent move by African NGOs is gathering
global momentum, projecting this technology not only as a threat to poverty in
Africa, but a measure to destroy the environment.
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