Tanzanian scientists under the Water Efficient Maize for Africa (WEMA) project are planning to start conducting confined trials for the WEMA maize in April 2016, upon regulatory approval.
“We have reserved the confined field trial sites as specified in the international guidelines, so we are only waiting for regulatory approval,” said Dr. Alois Kullaya, WEMA Project Coordinator in Tanzania.
The confined field trials will be conducted in the semi-arid area of Makutupora in Dodoma, Eastern Tanzania, to assess the maize varieties’ potential to produce good yields under moderate drought conditions.
“We have reserved the confined field trial sites as specified in the international guidelines, so we are only waiting for regulatory approval,” said Dr. Kullaya.
This comes after Tanzania has revised its regulations on genetically modified organisms, to the relief of scientists in the country.
“The strict liability clause in the Environment Management Biosafety Regulations has been replaced with the fault-based liability, meaning that anyone claiming compensation for damage would have to prove that whoever introduced the GMOs was at fault. Scientists can now carry out confined field trials of biotech crops without fear” Said Hussein Mansoor, Assistant Director of Crop Research at the Ministry of Agriculture, Food Security and Co-operatives.
The strict liability clause meant that scientists, donors or partners funding the research were accountable to any damage that might occur during or after research on GMO crops, a scenario that saw scientists restrict themselves to contained trials, whereby genes and plant material are enclosed within a laboratory or greenhouse. The new clause allows scientists to carry out confined field trials in designated plots of lands, to ascertain the effectiveness of the improved maize and its performance under local conditions.
For more information contact Dr Alois Kullaya at akkullaya@yahoo.co.uk