MEMBERS of parliament have urged the government to lift the ban on GMO foods, saying the move was not necessary.

The MPs, who are members of Parliamentary committees, called for a research-based policy change.

“Biotech projects address perennial drought problems that affect food security,” Emuhaya MP Wilbur Ottichilo said.

He said Kenya will remain food-insecure if farmers are denied technologies like biotechnology to increase farm yields and livelihoods.

Ottichilo asked why the government imported 60,000 tonnes of maize from Tanzania last week yet the country has no maize deficit.

He spoke during a field visit to the Kenya Agricultural and

The International Fertilizer Development Center and the Kenyan government have signed an accreditation agreement that formalizes their shared commitment to sustainable agricultural development in the country. 

The agreement establishes Kenya as a “host” country to IFDC. IFDC’s priorities are those of Kenya – ensuring that fertilizer, training and agricultural technologies reach the farmers that need them the most. 

“Agriculture is the engine that drives Kenya’s economy,” said Dr. Amit Roy, IFDC president and CEO. “Our valued partnership with the Kenyan government will keep that locomotive roaring.” 

IFDC’s collaboration with the Kenya Ministry of Agriculture began in the early 1990s with joint projects to

Government may reconsider its position on the ban of genetically modified organisms if a comprehensive study on their merits and demerits in agriculture is conducted, a senior State official has said.

Deputy Minister of Higher and Tertiary Education, Science and Technology Development Dr Godfrey Gandawa, said this during a fact-finding visit to the National Biotechnology Authority offices in Harare on Monday by a parliamentary committee."We need to do a thorough research and give Cabinet full facts outlining the merits and demerits of producing GMOs," he said. "I think every reasonable Government would adopt GMOs if the merits and demerits are known