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Plant: Govt introduces policy on GMOs





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TITLE:  GOVT INTRODUCES POLICY ON GMOS

SOURCE: Sunday News, Tanzania

URL:    http://www.dailynews-tsn.com/page.php?id=5002

DATE:   23.12.2006

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GOVT INTRODUCES POLICY ON GMOS

THE government has devised a new policy to control the importation of GMOs technology in order to curb its environmental and socio-economic effects. 

The policy, know as National Biosafety Framework (NBF), which has been prepared in accordance with the Cartagena Protocol, of which Tanzania has ratified, is also expected to introduce the legal, technical and administrative mechanisms to deal with the technology.

The Director of Environment in the Vice- President's Office (VPO), Mr Eric Mugurusi, said in Dar es Salaam yesterday that, from now on, nobody will be allowed to import GMOs without written approval from his office.

"No one shall import, transit, carry out the contained use of, or release of, or place in market, a GMO or a product thereof without an advanced informed or the explicit written approval of the VPO," he said.

He said his office would process any applications after liaising with appropriate scientific institutions.

"If the GMO will be about maize then we shall direct the applicant to work with institutions such as Sokoine University of Agriculture (SUA)," he said.

Mr Mugurusi said the new framework has been approved by the government and should be in operation forthwith.

However there is no individual or any institution that has so far imported GMOs, there is only a debate on whether to allow it in the country or not. The introduction of the new framework could be viewed as a gesture from the government of allowing the importation of the GMOs technology and products.

The coordinator of the Framework, Dr Shaabani Mwinjaka, said the government cannot totally ban the GMOs because it has some benefits.

"We cannot forbid importation of the technology because there are some good uses of it such as Insulin (medicine)," he said.

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