This archive report was first published on 20 December 2019.
On March 1, 2020, the Kenyan Cabinet made a significant decision to approve the commercial farming of BT Cotton, a genetically modified crop.
The approval comes after a five-year field trial period, which was preceded by an environmental release approval from the National Bio-safety Authority (NBA) in 2016. The NBA's decision was based on an Environmental Impact Assessment clearance certificate and a licence for open field trials issued in 2018.
According to the government, the move aims to establish Kenya as a regional leader in textile and apparel production, as part of the Big 4 Agenda. The commercial farming of BT Cotton is also expected to increase farmers' earnings through higher production levels.
Experts argue that the biotech cotton will lower production costs by 40%, reducing the need for pesticides. Currently, farmers lose around KSh9,000 per season due to the high cost of spraying the crop six times per season.
Additionally, the biotech cotton is expected to raise annual production to 260,000 bales, from the current level of 28,000 bales. This is a significant increase that could have a positive impact on the country's textile industry.
Principal BT Cotton Researcher and Centre Director, Charles Waturu, noted that pest control on conventional varieties takes 32% of all production costs. He emphasized that the persistent use of synthetic pesticides is expensive and destroys benefits, inducing pesticide resistance.
BT cotton is a genetically modified organism (GMO) or genetically modified pest-resistant plant cotton variety that produces an insecticide to combat bollworm. The technology has been used globally to mitigate the effects of pests and diseases, drought stress, and other challenges facing farmers.
