June 21, 2022

Livestock farmers in Kenya urge goverment to permit GMOs for animal feeds

Livestock farmers in Kenya are appealing to the government to allow the import of genetically modified (GMO) raw materials for animal feeds.

According to Martin Kinoti, secretary general of the Association of Kenya Animal Feed Manufacturers (AKEFEMA), Kenya relies on imports of raw materials for feed such as maize, soy, sunflower and cottonseed cake from neighbouring countries like Uganda, Tanzania, Zambia and Malawi. When these countries face production challenges, Kenya experiences severe shortages. So far, at least, 36 feed millers have shut their businesses within the last one year owing to scarcity of raw materials.

"Globally, there is serious competition between animals and human for grains leading to a shortage of the same and rise in prices," Kinoti said during the recent national dialogue on animal feed system hosted by Open Forum on Agricultural Biotechnology in Africa (OFAB-Kenya).

Dr. Margaret Karembu, director of International Service for the Acquisition of Agri-biotech Applications (ISAAA) Africentre said 80% of soybeans and 30% of maize available in the international markets are genetically modified.

One of the solutions offered by AKEFEMA is for the government to revitalise local production of maize, wheat and barley by increasing the local acreage under maize, which has been declining over the years.

Prof Joel Ochieng, secretary general of Kenya University Biotechnology Consortium, said if the government uses biotechnology as an intervention in the feed sector, it will improve the quality of locally produced raw materials, enhance feed and food security and lower energy loss.

Following the unprecedented increase in animal feed prices, Kenyan President Uhuru Kenyatta ordered the Minister for Agriculture, Livestock, Fisheries and Cooperatives last October to urgently come up with a framework for reducing the cost of feed.

In December 2021, the government outlined a waiver of duty for imported raw materials that are yellow maize and soybean, but put a caveat that the imports should not be genetically modified following the 2012 ban on the import of GMOs.

However, Kenya recently allowed animal feed producers to import yellow maize with minimal GMO content. The Ministry of Agriculture also reduced the level of yellow maize purity from GMO to 99.1% from the previous 100%.

- The Standard