Farmers in Embu county are worried about delays in getting Bt cotton seeds disrupting their planting and production cycles.
Joseph Gitari, a cotton farmer from Nyangati ward in Kirinyaga county, said despite good harvests from genetically modified (Bt) cotton, getting the seeds has been a problem.
"I’ve been growing Bt cotton since 2022 and have cut my pesticide sprays from six to nine times to just three. I've also been iable to reduce my production costs by 60 per cent," he said.
His biggest challenge, however, is getting the seeds on time.
National Biosafety Authority CEO Roy Mugira said while hybrid Bt cotton seeds are available in ginneries, government-procured seeds delayed due to bureaucratic issues.
Despite this, the benefits of Bt cotton are still greater than those of traditional seeds.
Mugira said the cotton industry has declined and needs a restart hence the need for timely supply of the seeds.
He spoke at the 12th Annual Biosafety Conference in Naivasha.
"Farmers expected ongoing government support, which is not sustainable. Now, they are saving money from their produce to buy seeds for the next season," Mugira said.
To improve access, ginneries are buying seeds for farmers and deducting the cost from payments for harvested cotton.
The NBA is planning a public education campaign to address lack of information on biotechnology.
"We are developing a programme to educate the society, including farmers and legal professionals," Mugira said.
So far, more than 42 genetically modified products have been approved at various research stages. These include Irish potatoes resistant to late blight disease and bananas resistant to diseases like black sigatoka.
Black Sigatoka is a leaf spot disease. It is an important economic banana disease in many countries around the world.
Severely infected leaves can die, significantly reducing fruit yield and causing mixed and premature ripening of fruit bunches.
Mugira said maize will be the next GM product released, followed by cassava and potatoes, once legal matters are resolved.
“Once we are done with the matters before court, the next product for release will be maize which we have completed the process. What is remaining is registering the varieties and releasing them to farmers. After that, there will be cassava and potatoes,” he said.