The number of countries growing genetically-modified (GM) cotton in Africa has doubled since 2018, says a International Service for the Acquisition of Agri-biotech Applications (ISAAA) report on the Global Status of Commercialized Biotech/GM Crops. Alongwith South Africa, Sudan and Eswatini, Ethiopia, Malawi and Nigeria were added to the list of countries adopting a biotechnological approach to reduce risks that pests and a sporadic climate pose to crops. Kenya may soon join this growing cohort of nations.

Across the six countries that now grow GM cotton – approximately three million hectares of land have been used over the past year-- with this sum likely to increase as Kenya looks to capitalize on the potential a biotechnological approach holds.

Encompassing Ethiopia, Malawi and Nigeria, 29 countries around the world planted GM crops last year, with the USA, Brazil, Argentina, Canada and India representing the largest markets. In total, more than 190 million hectares of land were used to harvest such crops.

In Africa, progress has been made in biotechnological crop research, regulation and acceptance in countries such as Mozambique, Niger, Ghana, Rwanda and Zambia.