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Venezuela to Prohibit Transgenic Crops

Wednesday, Apr 21, 2004 Print format

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By: Jason Tockman - Venezuelanalysis.com

 

CARACAS, April 21, 2004 (Venezuelanalysis.com) - Venezuelan President

Hugo Chavez Frias has announced that the cultivation of genetically

modified crops will be prohibited on Venezuelan soil, possibly

establishing the most sweeping restrictions on transgenic crops in the

Western Hemisphere. Though full details of the administration's

policy on genetically modified organisms (GMOs) are still forthcoming,

the statement by President Chavez will lead most immediately to the

cancellation of a contract that Venezuela had negotiated with the

U.S.-based Monsanto Corporation.

Before a recent international gathering of supporters in Caracas,

President Chavez admonished genetically engineered crops as contrary to

interests and needs of the nation's farmers and farmworkers. He then

zeroed in on Monsanto's plans to plant up to 500,000 acres of

transgenic soybeans in Venezuela.

 

" I ordered an end to the project, " said President Chavez, upon

learning that transgenic crops were involved. " This project is

terminated. "

 

President Chavez emphasized the importance of food sovereignty and

security-required by the Venezuelan Constitution-as the basis of

his decision. Instead of allowing Monsanto to grow its transgenic

crops, these fields will be used to plant yuca, an indigenous crop,

Chavez explained. He also announced the creation of a large seed bank

facility to maintain indigenous seeds for peasants' movements around

the world.

 

The international peasants' organization Via Campesina, representing

more than 60 million farmers and farmworkers, had brought the issue to

the attention of the Chavez Administration when it learned of the

contract with Monsanto. According to Rafael Alegria, secretary for

international operations of Via Campesina, both Monsanto and Cargill

are seeking authorization to produce transgenic soy products in

Venezuela.

 

" The agreement was against the principles of food sovereignty that

guide the agricultural policy of Venezuela, " said Alegria when

informed of the President's decision. " This is a very important

thing for the peasants and indigenous people of Latin America and the

world. "

 

Alegria has good reason to be concerned. With a long history of social

and environmental problems, Monsanto won early international fame with

its production of the chemical Agent Orange-the Vietnam War defoliant

linked to miscarriage, tremors, and memory loss, to which over a

million people were exposed. More recently, the company has been

criticized for side-effects that its transgenic crops and bovine growth

hormone (rBGH) are believed to have on human health and the

environment.

 

Closer to home in Venezuela, Monsanto manufactures the pesticide

" glyphosate, " which is used by the neighboring Colombian government

as part of its Plan Colombia offensive against coca production and

rebel groups. The Colombian government aerially sprays hundreds of

thousands of acres, destroying legitimate farms and natural areas like

the Putomayo rainforest, and posing a direct threat to human health,

including that of indigenous communities.

 

" If we want to achieve food sovereignty, we cannot rely on

transnationals like Monsanto, " said Maximilien Arvelaiz, an advisor

to President Chavez. " We need to strengthen local production,

respecting our heritage and diversity. "

 

Alegria hopes that Venezuela's move will serve as encouragement to

other nations contemplating how to address the issue of GMOs.

 

" The people of the United States, of Latin America, and of the world

need to follow the example of a Venezuela free of transgenics, " he

said.