Rwanda ready to harness GMOs tech, official tells EAC lawmakers

Rwanda is finalising a legal and regulatory framework for safe use of genetically modified organisms (GMOs) for the benefit of its people such as through food security and nutrition improvement, According to Patrick Karangwa, the Director General of Agriculture Modernisation at the Ministry of Agriculture and Animal Resources. Karangwa made the observation on February 8 in Kigali, as he delivered a presentation titled “Status of Policies, Laws, Regulations and Research on GMOs in Rwanda.” It was during a session in which members of the East African Legislative Assembly (EALA)’s Committee on Agriculture, Tourism and Natural Resources were carrying out an oversight activist to assess policies and laws on GMOs within the East African Community (EAC)’s Partner States. Participants at the event include representatives from the Ministry of Agriculture and Animal Resources, the Rwanda Agriculture and Animal Resources Development Board (RAB), the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation (which is also in charge of EAC affairs), Rwanda Environment Management Authority (REMA), Ministry of Health, and Private Sector Federation. Overall, the activity, which members of the Committe have been carrying out through sub-committees (teams) in different EAC Partner States, commenced on February 4 and runs through February 9. According to the committee, the main objective of the oversight activity is to assess policies and laws of EAC Partner States on GMOs and to make appropriate recommendations to the EAC Council of Ministers on this matter – the central decision-making and governing Organ of the EAC. Karangwa told the regional lawmakers and other participants at the event that Rwanda's Parliament passed a bill governing biosafety (which provides for GMOs regulation) in December 2023, and what remains is its ascent by the President into law and publication of official gazette for it to take effect. The purpose of the bill is to establish an adequate level of protection in the field of the safe transfer and use of living modified organisms, resulting from modern biotechnology that may harm the conservation and sustainable use of biological diversity and human health. “Some countries have taken a position where they say no to GMOs. But [for] Rwanda, we are not an anti-GMO country. We accept GMO as long as it is applied safely, that there is due diligence,” Karangwa said. “This is one of the technologies that are important to agriculture and livestock, and Rwanda is putting in place legislation and regulations so that it benefit the country without causing any harm,” he said, pointing out that legal and regulatory framework was necessary to address a potential situation where some people might abuse the technology either through recklessness or bad intention such as bioterrorism. ALSO READ: Expert gives insights on GMO potential, adoption in Africa GMOs can improve yields, nutrition Karangwa said that GMOs produced through modern agricultural biotechnology have the potential to help address the challenges such as climate change including drought, pests and diseases, farm productivity, as well as post-harvest losses. Also, he indicated, through agricultural biotechnology, scientists can modify genes to give crops new traits such as vitamin enhancement to improve nutrition, citing golden rice developed through gene engineering to address vitamin A deficiency. Currently, Karangwa said, the country is still at a level of testing GMOs under confined field trials, citing a trial on a cassava variety that is resistant to cassava brown streak disease – a destructive viral disease that causes huge losses to cassava farmers. Also, he said that the country is planning to conduct confined field trial for an Irish potato variety that is resilient to a devastating disease called late blight, which causes yield losses and negatively affect farmers' income, especially during rainy season. The resistant variety – which is a product of modern agricultural biotechnology – has advantages including increased potato productivity and cutting off the use of chemicals including pesticide spray, Karangwa indicated. MP Mary Mugyenyi from Uganda said that “the use of biotechnology in our region is a very contentious issue right now,” and EAC Partner States were at different levels in terms of regulation, policies and laws. She pointed out that she is of the view that “we need to find a middle ground particularly in terms of regulation of biotechnology for the benefit of the region.” “We realised that there are limitations to our agriculture production, our medicine, to the extent that we need to move with the rest of the world. Science has been evolving from behind us to where we are now. Africa cannot be an exception,” she said. The Chairperson of the Committee on Agriculture, Tourism and Natural Resources of EALA, MP Françoise Uwumukiza, said that after the oversight activity, the committee will compile a relevant report with recommendations to be forwarded to the EAC Council of Ministers which they will discuss with Heads of State of EAC Partner States. “The objective is to consider how we can work together as a team, pull together to see whether GMOs can help to ensure improved welfare of residents, and food security for all,” she observed. It is expected the lawmakers will come up with a bill related to the harmonisation of laws and policies on GMOs in the region.

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Rwanda ready to harness GMOs tech, official tells EAC lawmakers