Many countries have rejected genetically modified seeds and crops because genetically modified technologies obliged farmers to multinational corporations which own the agrochemicals and the seeds. It can disrupt farming traditions which have helped to preserve and protect our biodiversity, which is necessary to help us to adapt to the harsh conditions of climate change. It can also affect local cultures and the stability and strength of communities, which are vital to sustain farming.

In Guyana, this technology could have a debilitating effect on our local push for food security, through the ‘grow more food campaign’, a brilliant local initiative that has enormous potentials to yield greater organic harvest on our local farms.

Also, there are concerns about the damage that could befall crops, wild plants, animals and the health of people. There is need for more research on the implications of genetically modified foods on the linkages between the health of humans and the general natural environment.

We, therefore, urge the authorities and the environmental regulatory bodies to rethink this research in the interest of the environment, its ecosystems and the health of our nation.
ROYSTON KING