According to local media reports, Kenya has allowed the duty-free importation of 10 million bags of maize over the next six months, including genetically modified maize.
"In view of the food situation in the country, I shall be signing instruments to allow duty free imports of GMO and non GMO Maize for the next 6 months," said Trade Cabinet Secretary Moses Kuria on Twitter.
The decision was made as part of measures implemented by the government to tackle the long-term effects of climate change, specifically severe drought that negatively affects the yield of the country's agricultural crops.
Kenyan agricultural organizations predicted that the maize harvest this season could be low due to the negative impact of high fertilizer prices and high consumption of this year's maize crop. To address the projected shortage, the government decided to authorize duty-free importation of GM and non-genetically modified maize.
Following the announcement of this measure, critics expressed concerns over health safety, potential negative effects on local farming, and lack of a regulatory framework to control the cultivation of GM crops.
For example, Nandi County Senator Samson Cherargei opposed the government's decision, claiming that duty-free imports would hurt local farmers, as the market would be flooded by relatively cheap imported maize.
“The importation of maize should stop until the government mops up all this year’s crop and avoid lowering prices that doesn’t match the inputs incurred by maize farmers," he said on Twitter.
Questions about firms that would benefit from the duty-free importation also emerged. In particular, the Biodiversity and Biosafety Association of Kenya demanded that the government provide information about the firms which were chosen and requested to conduct risk and food safety assessments.
But in an interview with local media, Moses Kuria retorted the accusations, saying that the opponents were trying to politicize the situation instead of looking at it practically, from the economic viewpoint as part of the efforts to address the massive food shortage in the country, with millions of people exposed to potential starvation. He also stressed that the duty-free importation is for both GM and non-GM maize.
“Why is everyone talking about GMO when the duty-free importation is for all maize, not just genetically modified ones? We are importing both white and yellow maize,” Kuria said.
The country will import genetically modified maize for the first time since President William Ruto last moth lifted the ban on GM crops that was imposed in 2012. The ban prohibited the open cultivation of GM crops and the importation of food crops and animal feeds produced through biotechnology innovation.