© AFP 5/9/02 7:30 AM
Patrick Wadula, Business Day
SA EXPORTERS could lose up to R3,9bn if the government persisted in
promoting genetically modified foods, SAFeAGE spokesman Glenn Ashton said.
SAFeAGE is the SA Freeze Alliance on Genetic Engineering, a nonprofit
organisation that represents 200000 members in SA and another 300000
overseas.
Ashton said at the close of the world summit yesterday that government had
to exercise caution on genetically engineered foods and crops.
He said government's policy of promoting genetically modified foods could
negatively affect SA exporters of fruit and wine who are distributing their
product to genetically modified organisms free zones, particularly the
European Union (EU) and Japan.
"Despite the fact that SA is in the early stages of growing genetically
modified foods, and it is limited to white maize, the perception of
countries that are antigenetically modified organisms is that SA supports
the genetic modification of foods," said Ashton.
He said there was a real possibility that these countries would place a ban
on fruit and wine from a country that supports genetically modified
organisms to safeguard their markets from genetically modified
contamination.
"Being a producer of genetically modified foods has serious commercial
ramifications as the US and Canada have learned. The gates to Europe and
Japan for North American genetically modified commodities have all but
closed."
Ashton said before the introduction of genetically modified maize, US
farmers made a profit of $1,4bn from maize. Last year the US lost $12bn.
Canadian canola exports to the EU were worth $18m in 1996 but zero from
1997 onwards. US corn exports to the EU had also fallen from millions of
metric tons to almost zero since genetically modified Bt corn was
introduced.
"The economic impact to farmers has been disastrous," said Ashton.
According to figures from Agri SA , SA exports of fruit and wine are on the
increase. In 1991 SA exported R2,1bn worth of fruit to Europe an increase
of 7,7% when compared with 1990. Japan received fruit to the value of
R120m, 9,9% up on the previous year.
Wine sales to Europe grew 15,7% between 1990 and 1991 with total sales
equalling R1,5bn. Wine exports to Japan increased 7,8% reaching R29m in
1991.
-- Business Day
www.bday.co.za
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