WASHINGTON: South Africa approved imports of genetically modified corn from the US for the first time after its worst drought since records began 104 years ago cut local output.
The nation will allow both white and yellow GM corn from the US to be brought in, Dirk Kok, a spokesman for the secretariat of the Pretoria-based South African Cereals and Oilseeds and Trade Association, said in an interview on Monday. A call to the government’s Department of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries outside of normal office hours wasn’t answered.
“The door is open to imports from the US,” said Kok, whose organization represents grain and oilseed traders. Local “prices will come down,” he said.
The country became a net importer of corn in the season that ended in April for the first time since 2008 this year after the drought slashed the total harvest by about a quarter to 7.97 million tons, the least in a decade. While rains in the current season are improving prospects for the next crop, concerns about supply of the white variety, used to make a local staple porridge known as pap, persist because this type is only widely produced in southern Africa and Mexico.
