Author: Justine Nofal
Publication: Business Report
Date: Thursday, January 03, 2002

Johannesburg - South African farmers are planting genetically modified (GM) white maize, marking the first time this has been been done commercially anywhere in the world.

White maize is a staple food in many parts of the continent, and South Africa exports it to southern African countries.

It is also used for human consumption in Egypt and Mexico.

Mexico banned the growing of GM maize in 1998, but even so researchers recently discovered that GM corn of unknown origin had contaminated wild Mexican maize.

GM white maize has not yet been approved by the government`s Executive Council for Genetically Modified Organisms, the body that reviews the country`s applications for approval of GM products.

Late last year, South Africa`s farmers completed planting 7 000ha of herbicide-tolerant soybeans, a crop approved last year by the council. Soybean derivatives are used in a wide variety of processed foods.

Other approved crops include insect-protected yellow maize (used for animal feed), herbicide-tolerant cotton and insect-protected cotton.

Willie Maree, the South African director of business relations for multinational Monsanto, said: ``GM white maize seed for about 600ha will have been sold by Monsanto by the end of [this] planting season.``

If Maree`s figures are right, GM white maize will comprise a tiny percentage of the South African crop.

According to the latest report of the government`s Crop Estimates Committee, dated November 20, 1 596 005ha of white maize would be planted in 2001/02.

He said the GM white maize from Monsanto was being planted on farms in KwaZulu-Natal, Free State, Eastern Cape and Mpumalanga.

Lloyd le Page, the operations manager of Pioneer, confirmed that his company was selling GM white maize seed, but said the company would not reveal sales volumes.

Pannar Seeds is developing GM white maize. Its GM white maize hybrids were registered this year and would be in demonstration trials during the 2002/03 season, said Rikus Kloppers, the technical services manager of Pannar.

``The first Pannar GM white maize hybrids should therefore be only commercially available for the 2003/04 season,`` Kloppers said.

Jocelyn Webster, the executive director of AfricaBio, a biotechnology association, confirmed these were the only three companies involved in GM white maize at this stage.

Kit le Clus, the head of research and development for Grain SA, said: ``I reckon less than 1 percent of white maize planted will be GM white maize. Genetically modified yellow maize has been grown for the past four years in South Africa and now comprises about 7 percent of the crop.``

Maree said: ``The modification to the white maize is an implanted gene that has been used in both genetically modified yellow maize and cotton to combat insects. In yellow maize, the implanted gene is known as Yield Gard or Mon610, and is used to combat the stalk borer.

``The same variant that is used in yellow maize has now been implanted into the white maize genetic code to combat the same pest.``

The South African authorities approved the gene four years ago for use in yellow maize. ``To combat insects, organic groups use this same gene in spray form over plants. It is this gene they have now taken and implanted into the white maize genetic code,`` Maree said.

Three weeks ago, the European Union released a report regarding its research into the possible effects of GM foods. It found that none of the GM foods caused any harmful side effects, Maree said.