Ethiopia approves genetically engineered potatoes trials

Published 2022년 11월 8일

Tridge summary

Ethiopia's Environmental Protection Authority has approved the Ethiopian Institute of Agricultural Research (EIAR) to conduct trials on genetically modified (GM) potatoes, developed by BASF to resist late blight. This makes potatoes the third consumer GMO product, following maize and Enset (false banana), to be authorized for commercial production in Ethiopia. The project, backed by USAID and the International Potato Center (CIP), aims to combat potato harvest losses of about 20% globally caused by the disease. However, the introduction of GM crops has sparked public debate due to concerns around their effectiveness in addressing food security issues.
Disclaimer:The above summary was generated by Tridge's proprietary AI model for informational purposes.

Original content

The approval by the Ethiopian Environmental Protection Authority weeks ago gives the Ethiopian Institute of Agricultural Research (EIAR) permission to plant the potatoes in a confined trial farming area. Ethiopia’s deregulatory plans around GMO crops focus on gene editing, a type of genetic modification that is heavily restricted in the European Union countries. However, the GM potatoes project has been pushed in Africa by the United States Agency for International Development (USAID) and the International Potato Center (CIP). CIP is the research center within the Consultative Group on International Agricultural Research (CGIAR), stated as working to help African countries, among others, develop GM potatoes. Ethiopia, Uganda, and Rwanda have already joined CIP as members. Genetically modified potatoes that resist “late blight” were developed by the German chemicals group BASF. The disease led to famine in Ireland during the 19th century and still causes about 20 percent of potato ...
Source: Argenpapa

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