Monsanto GMO Banned by Africa's Largest Cotton Producer

Monsanto GMO Banned by Africa's Largest Cotton Producer

By Staff Writers, teleSUR
Monday, Apr 25, 2016

One geneticist from Burkina Faso has accused Monsanto of "criminal" acts



Photo: Reuters

Burkina Faso, Africa’s top cotton producer and the only West African nation that has ventured into biotech farming, has decided to ban genetically-modified (GM) cotton produced by Monsanto on quality grounds.

Earlier this month Burkina Faso, the world’s 10th largest cotton producer, announced it was giving up Monsanto’s GM Bt cotton as it had proved uneconomical. Burkina Faso embraced GM cotton in the 2000s in the hope of bumping up returns on what became its top export in 2009 after surpassing gold. ​

With four of its 19 people dependent on the so-called "white gold," the importance of cotton to the West African nation cannot be understated. But the nation’s association of cotton producers now say GM cotton, though producing higher yields, has resulted in a significant drop in the quality of crops.

Between 2011 and 2016, producers say the industry incurred losses of some US$82.4 million and are demanding compensation.

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http://www.telesurtv.net/english/news/Monsanto-GMO-Banned-by-Africas-Largest-Cotton-Producer-20160424-0008.html