Phase out of GMO cotton in Burkina Faso taking increasing toll on farmers and industry

karboe guile
Credit: Joseph Opoku Gakpo)

When cotton traders in Burkina Faso announced in 2015 that they were phasing out the cultivation of genetically modified cotton, they attributed it to losing 50 billion CFA (US$89.5 million) in five of the seven seasons the nation had grown the variety.

The GM seeds were producing cotton with shorter fibers, which produces a lower quality fabric, so trading companies had to discount their prices on the international market.

As a result, they directed farmers to stop growing GM cotton and return to conventional varieties. But the profits of trading companies and mills aren’t the only consideration. A national study has shown that the introduction of GM cultivars in Burkina Faso led to a 22 percent increase in yield over conventional cultivars and farming households recorded an average profit gain of 51 percent. Now, they have lost all that.

Some farmers are struggling to take care of their children as a result of the move to abandon GM cotton.

“When they asked us to vote, we said we don’t want conventional back. We want GMOs,” said cotton farmer Soro Mahmoud. “But they didn’t listen to us. We should be making the decisions on these issues not them.”

Read full, original post: Assessing the real cost of Burkina Faso’s decision to phase out GMO cotton

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