How Crop Biotechnology Meshes into Biofuels

by James Wachai

This month is abuzz with biofuel events. Brisbane, Australia, hosts the 9th World Beet and Cane Growers Conference from July 9 -12. Among the topics to be discussed, will be the use of sugar cane and sugar beets in biofuels production. Tom Schwartz, the Executive Vice President, U.S. Beet Sugar Development Foundation, I understand, will make a presentation on advances in genetically modified sugar beets research in the U.S.

In Brussels, Belgium, an International Conference on Biofuels, sponsored by the European Commission (EU), has just wrapped up. The conference focused on the impact of biofuels on food security in Europe and elsewhere.

Regular readers of this blog might wonder what its that prompts me - I customarily comment on agricultural biotechnology topics - to spotlight on these two biofuel-related events. As an African currently living in the U.S., I must confess my fascination with the ongoing mad rush for biofuels mainly in the U.S. and Brazil. Amid this biofuel jamboree, I am wondering why Africa hasnt yet joined the bandwagon.

The U.S. Congress recently promulgated a law guaranteeing the biofuel industry huge tax subsidies, the aim being to encourage more biofuel production to wean the country from foreign oil.

Agrofuel crops farming has, similarly, received massive governmental support, in form of low-rated loans, and other incentives, all tailored to boost production.

Europe has lately joined the biofuels fray. In its new Energy Policy, the European Union (EU) wants 10 percent of vehicle fuels to come from biofuels by 2020.

Spicing up all these initiatives is relentless effort by the scientific community to develop high-yielding agrofuel crops genetically modified to resist common pesticides and herbicides. Already, corn genetically engineered to resist various types of stem borers is being grown widely in the U.S., Canada, Brazil, Argentina, South Africa, and elsewhere.

Research into genetically engineered sugar cane and sugar beets, the other two common energy crops, is at its top gear in the U.S. and Brazil. All these GM crops and many more that might sprout out in the future are, and will remain the major force behind the biofuel industry. And since Africa, with the exemption of South Africa, has refused to embrace modern agricultural technologies such as plant biotechnology, it means it wont gain a dime from the biofuel gravy train.

Some would argue that Africa, traditionally accustomed to chronic food shortages, cant afford the luxury of biofuels. Theyre mistaken. The International Food Policy Research Institute, recently released a report, which clearly documents benefits that poor-resource farmers in a continent like Africa can accrue from biofuels. And theres ready market for biofuels.

In the Brussels conference, the EU Trade Commissioner, Peter Mandelson, indicated that Europe might import the bulk of its biofuels from developing countries. I see Brazil, China, Argentina, South Africa, and other developing countries that have embraced modern agricultural technologies, scooping maximum benefits from the European biofuel market.

When justifying their reluctance to grow GM crops, African governments argue that they would not allow their people to be used as guinea pigs by multinational biotech companies. Now that the EU has indicated its willingness to buy biofuels from developing countries, shouldnt Africa consider adopting GM crops not for human consumption, but to fuel the booming biofuel industry? Africa will be denying itself another significant benefit of genetic engineering if it fails to act.

James is a communication expert on agricultural biotechnology