The Saharawi Arab Republic Ambassador to Ghana has commended Ghana for its support for his country in its fight against Moroccan colonial rule. Ambassador Mahayub Buyema acknowledged Ghana’s position which supported Saharawi Republic’s right to exist as an independent state in line with the United Nations (UN) resolutions. Currently, there are Ghanaian troops in that country on a peacekeeping mission. Speaking during a courtesy call on the Editor of the Daily Graphic, Mr Ransford Tetteh, the ambassador recounted Ghana’s continuous diplomatic support for the western Saharan country that had been under Moroccan rule since 1976, in spite of a bloody war that ended in 1991. Making a case for an independent Saharawi, he said: “The problem of Saharawi is a problem of colonisation. The resolutions are clear that we want a referendum. If the people of Saharawi want to be independent, that is their right, and it should be their prerogative as well if they want to be part of Morocco; it should not be imposed on them.” The history The Saharawi Arab Democratic Republic (SADR) was created on February 27, 1976, when Spain abdicated its legal responsibilities and relinquished its control over Western Sahara without organising a referendum. In 1982, the Organisation of African Unity (OAU) admitted the SADR as a member, acknowledging its status as the sovereign government of Western Sahara. Morocco annexed Western Sahara after the Spanish settlers pulled out in 1975. The result was a long-running battle with the Polisario Front, a leading Saharawi independent movement, until 1991. Morocco’s claims to the territory relied on the fact that Western Sahara was part of the Greater Maghreb –a  territory in Northern Africa that was historically allied with the Moroccan Sultanate and fought as part of the Moroccan Liberation Army against Spain. The International Court of Justice in 1976 acknowledged such ties but determined that they were not sufficient to prove Moroccan sovereignty over the territory. Although the United Nations (UN)  recognised the occupation of Saharawi as illegal, it failed to speed up the process of independence for Samaria. The UN has maintained a peacekeeping mission meant to hold a referendum on the autonomy of Sahara (MINUS) since 1991, but it has no mandate to monitor human rights abuses, a skeleton staff, and thanks to France’s Security Council veto which has failed to produce a referendum for 23 years now. The issues Under pressure from the international community, Morocco, last year, presented an autonomy plan for the western Saharan country. But Mr Mazur maintained that Saharawi was not a Moroccan territory and its independence should not be at the whims and caprices of Morocco. “The Saharawi people need to exercise their right to self-determination.  The Moroccans and all other interest groups could submit their proposals about settlement but the ultimate decision as to whether to become independent, autonomous or part of Morocco rests with our people.” While the military option is on the table, the leadership of the country, the ambassador said, preferred the political alternative because of the casualties of war. He, however, indicated that the patience of Saharawians was running out and they would pursue all means, including the military option if that was what would ensure their country’s independence. Support for Saharawi Mr Ransford Tetteh, for his part, said the world had become a global village where what was happening in Saharawi Republic should be of concern to all. “All of us must jointly fight together to ensure that Morocco respected the UN resolution so that all of us can contribute to the development of our continent,” he noted. “It is sad that most of the things you can hear about our continent on the international media is about wars, famine, disease and poverty. There are other areas of celebration. Africans are hardworking people, struggling to lift themselves out of these difficulties.  The only way out is for our leaders to bond and fight to ensure that every African is free to determine his or her own future,” he said.  

The Ministry of Trade has secured $5 million from an international non-governmental organisation (NGO) to support small and medium-scale enterprises in the oil and gas sector. The money will be disbursed over a five-year period. A memorandum of understanding (MoU) was signed between the ministry and the NGO, PYXERA Global, for the release of the money. The sector minister, Mr Haruna Iddrisu, signed on behalf of the Government of Ghana,  while the United States Ambassador to Ghana Mr Gene Cretz, signed for the NGO. Background of the programme Last year, the United States Agency for International Development (USAID) awarded a $4.9-million grant to PYXERA Global to implement the programme in the Western Region for a five-year period. The programme strives to increase the capacity of local business service providers relating to the oil and gas sector’s procurement regulations and standards. It is also to create a market linkage between the oil and gas sector and collaborate closely with the Enterprise Development Centre to facilitate the sustainable provision of business development services. Minster of Trade In his remarks at the signing ceremony,  Mr Haruna Iddrisu said the support was in line with the government’s objective to create the necessary environment “that would improve productivity, build entrepreneurial capacity, innovation and access to finance.” He said with the implementation of the industrial sector support programme, the ministry would increase the supply and improve the quality of entrepreneurial and management skills of the SMEs. That, he said, would be achieved through the strengthening of identified and already existing institutions to deliver training programmes that would meet the current and future needs of the manufacturing sector. Mr Iddrisu, therefore, urged members of the Association of Ghana Industries (AGI), the Federation of Association of Ghanaian Exporters (FAGE), and other Ghanaian SMEs to take advantage of the opportunity being offered to support their businesses. US Ambassador The United States Ambassador to Ghana, said the MoU was a visible demonstration of the commitment of the US Government to ensure that Ghanaian businesses had the expertise and the support needed to bid for and, most importantly, win procurement contracts in the oil and gas sector. “There can be no clearer example of our strongly held view that local content is a worthy goal and can be mutually beneficial when there is a cooperative process of consultation and shared understanding,” he said.

  The Ghana Road Transport Operators (GRTO) has announced a 10 percent increase in transport fares across the country. The increment is expected to take effect from Monday 27th of January 2014. The statement signed by the General Secretary of GTUC, Stephen Okudzeto and General Secretary of GRTCC, Alhaji Aliyu Baba said the Road Transport Operators reviewed their prices based on the various elements that go into running commercial transport. “The new road transport fares cover the following types of Road Transport Operations : Intra-City (Trotro), Inter-City (Long Distance) and Taxis Cabs.’’ The statement also advised drivers and members, as well as commuters to co-operate for the ‘’success of these changes’’. The increase in fares comes on the back of recent increment in fuel prices by the National Petroleum Authority (NPA).  

  The Accra Metropolitan Chief Executive, Dr Alfred Okoh Vanderpujie, has denied media reports that his official residence and other properties belonging  to the assembly have been auctioned to defray  a GH¢33 million debt it owed the City and Country Waste Limited (CCWL), a solid waste management company. “As far as I know, the government intervened in that matter and I did not know where that information came from,” he stated. It was reported in a section of the media that the official residence of Dr Vanderpujie had been auctioned for GH¢850,000.The reports also alleged that three other properties belonging to the AMA and located at  Ridge in Accra were also  sold for a total of GH¢2,255,000. They included a six-bedroom bungalow in which an official of the assembly resided which was sold for GH¢780,000; and two other bungalows which went for GH¢725,000 and GH¢750,000. Dr Vanderpujie stressed that there was no truth in those publications. Incidentally, he still lives in the same residence today. Though he declined to provide information regarding the status of the situation, Dr Vanderpujie stressed that “ the government has already intervened in the matter and there will not be any auctioning of our properties.” Precedents of CCWL/AMA contract Vans Mart, the auctioneer had been scheduled to publicly sell off the city authority’s assets, which included its head office, the chief executive’s official residence at  Ridge, vehicles and other landed properties on November 7, 2013, but that did not happen. The issues that led to that point dated back to 1997 and it is steeped in a breach of contract by the assembly. The CCWL entered into a contract with the AMA in December, 1997, but the contract was allegedly abrogated in 2001. In the agreement, the AMA was said to have contracted CCWL to provide services for pre-collection, collection and haulage of refuse within Accra. Under the agreement, the AMA was to provide and lease waste collection and haulage equipment to the CCWL for a period of five years, while landfill equipment were to be leased for seven years. The CCWL was to pay user fees to the AMA for the equipment for five years from the inception of the date the agreement came into effect. After the respective periods, the equipment were to become the property of the CCWL. According to a representative of the company, during the duration of the agreement, CCWL submitted various invoices to the AMA for payment in respect of work done, but the assembly paid only a fraction of them. The CCWL, therefore, sued the AMA in 2002, claiming GH¢12 million, being the cost of the services it rendered to the assembly in two years but which was in arrears at the time the contract was abrogated. The Accra High Court granted the reliefs sought by the CCWL and ordered the AMA to pay the amount. Not satisfied, however, the AMA appealed against the judgement but lost at the Court of Appeal. It then proceeded to the Supreme Court where it lost again. The Supreme Court, presided over by Ms Justice Sophia Akuffo, with Dr Justice S. K. Date-Bah, Mr Justice J. Ansah, Mr Justice R. T. Aninakwah and Mr Justice S. K. Asiamah as members, in a unanimous decision on February 13, 2008, ordered the AMA to pay the amount plus interest, which had amounted to GH¢29 million by August, 2008. AMA appeals In May, 2008, the AMA made an application to the Supreme Court to pay the money by instalment but was ordered to pay the initial amount of GH¢12 million by August,  the same year and spread the remainder over one year. Following the Supreme Court’s decision, lawyers for the CCWL filed a writ of possession and officials of the company have since been threatening to enforce the court order. A copy of the court’s order has been posted at the assembly’s head office in Accra, with portions of it mandating the company to seize the assembly’s property for public auction if the AMA failed to take steps to pay the debt. Conclusion The government’s intervention, therefore, brings to an end, the long-standing legal battle between the AMA and the CCWL, and also put to rest, speculations about the auction of the the assembly’s properties. Writer’s email: [email protected]  

  About 20 wooden structures being used as homes by residents of Agbogbloshie Point Seven in Accra were destroyed by fire on Thursday. According to eyewitnesses, the fire started around 5 p.m. when a woman who was heating water with an electric heater left it to take part in a party that was going on in the vicinity. The residents lost their money and belongings, some of which were burnt to ashes. The fire also ruined a thanksgiving party for one Pastor Abraham Dzagbletey, who had invited the Royal Palace Band, made up of blind persons, to entertain the guests. The party and the blind Pastor Dzagbletey said he organised the party as thanksgiving to God for escaping unhurt from a motor accident early this month. The party was underway when the fire started, he said, and explained that the blind bandsmen put themselves in groups of three to escape the fire. Currently, he said, the blind persons were safe but still in shock. The residents appealed to the government to intervene by granting them loans to start their businesses again, since they had lost their incomes and other valuables. Fire Service In an interview, the Public Relations Officer of the Ghana National Fire Service, Mr Billy Anaglate, said  firemen from the Accra City Fire Station quickly responded to the call that there was fire. The team later had support from the Industrial Area Fire Station to bring the fire under control. Mr Anaglate explained that the fire spread rapidly due to the abundance of gas cylinders, candles and other combustibles owned by the residents. He, therefore, advised the public to keep abreast of fire safety measures.  The fire, he stressed, had primarily been linked to the burning of a plastic container in which a water heater had been plugged and left unattended until all the water evaporated.  

  The country's daily oil production is likely to drop from the current level of 100,000 barrels per day (bpd) to about 70,000 due to delay in the completion of the Atuabo Gas Processing Plant. The project is scheduled for completion on April 30, 2014 but it is likely to delay because the Gamma Ray Scanner, the equipment which is used for testing radioactivity, is yet to be delivered to the Ghana Gas Company (GGC). The order by the GGC for the equipment is yet to be considered by the manufacturers in South Africa. A government source told the Daily Graphic that if oil production, which dipped from 115,000bpd to 100,000bpd, reduced further to 70,000bpd, the government's expected revenue would drop substantially. The production of oil is associated with gas, which has to be flared or collected onshore for processing. Options Regrettably, the Jubilee partners are considering flaring the gas because of the delay in the completion of the Atuabo plant. Another option, according to a source close to the Jubilee partners, is to re-inject the gas into the oil reservoirs. It added that the oil companies were not too comfortable to do that because such an approach could affect the oil reservoirs. It said the partners were, therefore, contemplating reducing production of oil, so that they could also reduce the volume of gas associated with oil production. However, the partners and the government are currently in discussions for a possible remedy to avoid further reduction in production which could lead to substantial revenue loss. Visit Officials from the EPA, the Ministry of Energy and Petroleum and the Ghana National Petroleum Corporation have visited the gas processing plant to find out when the project would be completed. Briefing the stakeholders during the visit, the contractor working on the gas project, Sinopec, assured the country that the first gas would be delivered to the Aboadze power enclave in the Shama District on April 28 and 29, 2014. The Project Manager, Mr David Xhu, said the project was more than 90 per cent complete, adding that it was scheduled to be completed in 66 days’ time. He gave an assurance that the technical aspect of the project would be completed by March 3, 20 14.  

  Two top fishermen at the weekend hailed President John Dramani Mahama for appointing Dr Alphonse Kwao Dorcoo  as acting Managing Director of Tema Oil Refinery (TOR). Nii Adjierteh, Mator III, Tema Chief Fisherman, and Nana Kofi Bentum II, Asafohene of Otuam Amanfro in the Central Region, told Ghana News Agency that when Dr Dorcoo was the Production Manager of TOR, he was very instrumental in ensuring that fishermen got pre-mix fuel for their business on time. “During his time as production manager, getting the product for fishing was timely and handy”, Nii Mator said. Nana Bentum said Dr Dorcoo helped the fishing industry in diverse ways and would forever remain grateful to the President for his elevation. The industrial experience of Dr Dorcoo, a chemical engineer with TOR, include General Manager, Production, General Manager, Refinery Development and Training and General   Manager, Commerce.  

    An appeal has been made to the government  to ensure that the three months’ suspension penalty imposed on defaulting clients of the National Health Insurance Scheme (NHIS) be abolished. Mr Elvis K. Payin, the former Vice Chairman of the Effutu Municipal Area branch of the Teachers and Educational Workers Union (TEWU), who made the appeal in an interview with the Ghana News Agency (GNA) on Wednesday, said that would bring relief to premium holders of the scheme. Mr Payin said the suspension penalty introduced by the National Health Insurance Authority (NHIA) a couple of years ago was doing more harm than good to ordinary Ghanaians who were premium holders and must be reviewed as a matter of urgency to bring some respite to people who had embraced the policy. He said most clients did not check the expiry dates on their NHIS identity (ID) cards regularly, adding that besides that millions of illiterate premium holders always fell victim to the default penalty because they did not get people to check the expiry dates of their ID cards for them at the appropriate time except when they reported at the various accredited hospitals for medical attention. Mr Payin said since the national health insurance policy was introduced principally to help the poor in society to secure affordable health care, the government must always ensure that the system was not entangled with tougher regulations and conditions which would deprive the vulnerable in the society of enjoying the benefits which the policy provided. The former TEWU chairman has, therefore, called on the government to impress upon the NHIA to review its stand in the three months’ suspension penalty punishment inflicted on clients of the scheme in order to sustain the interest of Ghanaians in the policy. That way, Mr Payin added, “we will be maintaining the gains the policy has chalked so far and develop it further because the system is good, but we must find a more acceptable means of enforcing the renewal of the ID cards without necessarily subjecting the people to some sort of indirect punishments. He said besides the various branches of the NHIA intensifying their sensitisation activities on the renewal of the ID cards, various religious organisations and district, municipal and metropolitan assembly members must also take it upon themselves to educate the people on the importance of the renewal of the NHIS cards.    

  A Nigerian who is alleged to be one of the criminals in the Ghana Commercial Bank (GCB) fraudulent money transfer has been arrested and remanded in police custody by the Accra Circuit Court. Tony Abogo, a businessman, is said to have fraudulently transferred GH¢250,000 from the vault of the GCB into the account of his girlfriend at the bank (GCB) and asked the girl to withdraw part of the money. He was charged with conspiracy to steal and stealing. He pleaded not guilty when he appeared before the court yesterday and is to reappear before the court, presided over by Mr Francis Obiri, on February 5, 2014. Facts Presenting the facts of the case, the Prosecutor, Deputy Superintendent of Police (DSP) A. Dery, said the complainant was the branch manager at the Ghana Commercial Bank Spintex Road, Accra while the accused was a Nigerian living at Lashibi near Tema. He said somewhere in December, 2013 the accused fraudulently transferred cash in the sum of GH¢250,000 into his girlfriend's account at the bank. He said on December 24, 2013 the accused asked the girlfriend to go to the bank (GCB) to withdraw GH¢2,000. DSP Derry said the girl was arrested at the bank when the officials realised that the transfer was fraudulent. He said the girlfriend then mentioned the name of Tony Abogo as the one who transferred the money into her account. The girlfriend then lured Tony, who had since been in hiding, to Lashibi Shell Filling Station where he was also arrested. The accused person mentioned someone only as  Wale, alias FBI, as the person who gave him the account details at the bank. Background The GCB has been faced with fraudulent wiring of huge sums of money from its vault into private accounts in recent times. About two weeks ago, a national service person who was alleged to be involved in the fraudulent wiring of huge sums of money from the GCB’s vault into some private accounts was arrested. It is neither yet clear how much money the syndicate succeeded in siphoning from the bank’s vault, nor for how long the crime went on, before the fraud was detected. The operation was allegedly coordinated with the connivance of the bank’s IT department. It has led to the freezing of five accounts belonging to two individuals and two different companies by the Economic and Organised Crimes Office (EOCO). The account bearers include Mr Akato Haizel (two separate accounts), Matilda Dankwa Adjoa, B J Net Company Ltd and Osuaka Ventures. A letter signed by the Executive Director of EOCO, dated December 27, 2013 and sent to the Managing Director of GCB at the Bank’s Head Office in Accra and copied to the Head of Banking Supervision at the Central Bank, ordered the immediate freezing of the five accounts. The letter said: “Please take notice that pursuant to the authority conferred on the Executive Director by section 33 of the Economic and Organised Crimes Office Act 2010 (act 804), the Executive Director of EOCO has directed the freezing of the bank account of [Akato Haizel, Matilda Dankwa Adjoa, B J Net Company ltd and Osuaka Ventures] with your branches pending investigations into various crimes.” “This order takes immediate effect. Until this order is revoked or elapsed, your bank shall not allow any transactions on the account without the written authority of the Executive Director.”  

  A former Co-ordinator of the National Youth Employment Programme (NYEP), Abuga Pele, and another were yesterday put before the Financial Division of the Fast Track High Court for causing financial loss of GH¢4.1 million to the state. Pele is alleged to have entered into a contract with the second accused person, Philip Akpeena Assibit, a representative of Goodwill International Ghana (GIG), to engage in activities which have not inured to the benefit of the state. The former Co-ordinator of the NYEP, now known as the Ghana Youth Employment and Entrepreneurial Development Agency (GYEEDA), faces five counts of wilfully causing financial loss to the state, two counts of abetment of crime and one count of intentionally misappropriating public property. Assibit, on the other hand, faces five counts of dishonestly causing loss to public property, two counts of abetment of crime and six counts of defrauding by false pretence. They both pleaded not guilty to the charges and have been granted bail by the court, presided over by Mrs Justice Afia S. Asare-Botwe, to reappear on February 11, 2014. Snippets of Offence According to the prosecution, Pele and Assibit signed a memorandum of understanding (MoU) which gave GIG the mandate to render services without recourse to the Minister of Employment or the Attorney-General. Assibit was said to have given false representation that he had secured a $65-million loan facility from the World Bank for the implementation of the Youth Enterprise Development Programme (YEDP) and had, in the process, employed 250 youth to support the implementation of the YEDP, as well as developed and facilitated the launch of an effectual exit programme for all NYEP modules. Calm Demeanour The accused persons looked on calmly when a Principal State Attorney, Mrs Evelyn Keelson, read out their charges. Counsel for Pele, Mr Thaddeus Sory, prayed the court to grant his client self-recognisance bail on the grounds that Pele was the Member of Parliament (MP) for Chiana Paga and had served in various public capacities and not been found to have engaged in any form of illegality while holding public office. “He has impeccable credentials,” counsel argued, and further reminded the court that Pele had a legislative function to perform as an MP and for that reason the court should grant him bail to enable him to perform those functions. Counsel argued that the facts of the case were not only “fragile but hollow” and, accordingly, prayed the court to grant Pele bail. For his part, counsel for Assibit, Mr Raymond Bagnabu, prayed the court to grant his client self-recognisance bail because his client had complied with bail conditions from EOCO. He further stated that he would lead evidence to prove the innocence of Assibit, who counsel argued was a businessman of international repute and also had a fixed place of abode. He said the number of charges levelled against Assibit were attributable to the uncertainty of the prosecution. Bail Conditions Pele was granted self-recognisance bail, while Assibit was granted a GH¢2 million bail, with four sureties, two to be justified. Both accused persons were directed to report themselves to the investigator in charge of the case at 9 a.m. on Mondays. Background to the case The facts of the case, as presented by Mrs Keelson, were that in 2009, Pele, on assumption of office as the National Co-ordinator of the NYEP, entered into a contract with Assibit. Under the terms of the agreement, the NYEP was described as the ‘host’, while the GIG was tagged as the ‘strategic partner’. According to the prosecution, the parties agreed to combine their labour, properties and skills for the purpose of engaging in resource mobilisation, investor sourcing, management consulting, capacity building, career development, training services, among other jobs. Per the agreement, the GIG was responsible for resource mobilisation and undertook to provide preliminary funds for the development of the programme, while the parties agreed to equally share the profits that would accrue out of the agreement. “Meanwhile, there is nothing on record in terms of business proposals or documents forming the basis of engaging the GIG as a strategic partner,” the prosecution stated. Assibit, between May 2011 and May 2012, “made a number of payment claims for consultancy services he claimed to have rendered to the NYEP, ranging from the provision of exit plan and strategy for all NYEP modules, established a Youth Enterprise Development Project which he claimed to have used in securing approval for a World Bank facility of $65 million for the NYEP and had recruited and trained 250 youth to support the implementation of what he referred to as the World Bank-funded Youth Enterprise Development Programme (YEDP),” it said. False Claims Continuing with the evidence gathered against the accused persons, Mrs Keelson told the court that the representations put forward by Assibit were supported by Pele, who used them as the basis for justifying, recommending and approving a total amount of GH3,330, 568.53, the equivalent of $1,948,626.68, to Assibit, claiming, among others, that, Assibit’s work had directly resulted in a World Bank support of $65 million for the NYEP. “Meanwhile, investigations revealed that all these representations were false,” she pointed out, and further indicated that investigations revealed that the GIG was never appointed a consultant to the NYEP. The prosecution said Assibit had failed to provide any exit plan and strategy for the NYEP modules, adding that Assibit had again not conducted any financial engineering for the approval of a World Bank facility of $65 million, as he had claimed and been corroborated by Pele. “Indeed, there has not been any approval by the World Bank of $65 million for the NYEP,” it pointed out, and said investigations also discovered that in August 2012, Assibit was paid an additional GH¢835,000 under the guise of what was referred to as “tracer studies” for the World Bank as the last requirement needed to be met for the approval of the $65 million facility. According to the prosecution, Assibit’s claims on the tracer studies were also supported by Pele and grounded upon which Pele approved the payment of the amount to Assibit. Pele’s actions, according to the prosecution, had caused financial loss to the state and it was based on those facts that the accused persons had been put before the court.   Writer’s email: [email protected].  

  With the banter on Genetically Modified foods onging within the media in Ghana, the Graphic Communications Group Limited organsied a media training for journalists in Accra last Thursday. Currently, Food Sovereignty Ghana (FSG) is kicking against the introduction of the genetically-modified (GM) foods and crop. In addition, they embarked on a march against the introduction of genetically modified crops and foods into the Ghanaian market on October 12, 2012 at the Agbloboshie market in Accra, to sensitise traders to the health effects of the crops and call on them to reject their introduction. According to them, GM foods were associated with heart diseases, fibroid, diabetes and cancers, among others, and, as such they were not good for human consumption. They also raised concerns about the economic implications farmers and the country were likely to face if the crops were allowed into the country. Besides, the FSG believes government breached the National Bio-safety Act 2011 by allowing the processes, when the National Bio-safety Authority has not been set up. Interestingly, the Ghana Health Service (GHS) is calling for an extensive stakeholder debate to unravel the full effects of GM foods before it is accepted and produced commercially in Ghana. Meanwhile, the National Biosafety Committee, the nation's interim regulator of GM foods in the country,  has assured Ghanaians that there is nothing harmful about GM Foods. A member of the committee and former Director General of the Council for Scientific and Industrial Research (CSIR), Prof. Walter Alhassan Sundow, who was a resource person at the training, said it is certain GM foods that have gone through the required safety testing procedures could be considered safer than the conventionally produced ones because of the tedious approval procedures they go through. He noted that GM crops have the potential of producing pest resistant, nitrogen efficient and drought resistant crops, and thereby help to increase yield and more nutritious crops quality. The CSIR is currently undertaking confined field trials of GM rice and cowpea, expected to hit the market soon. With all these battles, the big question on most people's mind is what at all is GM foods? According to the Wikipedia, they are foods produced from organisms that have had specific changes introduced into their DNA using the methods of genetic engineering. These techniques have allowed for the introduction of new crop traits, as well as a far greater control over a food's genetic structure than previously afforded by methods such as selective breeding and mutation breeding. Commercial sale of genetically modified foods began in 1994, when Calgene first marketed its Flavr Savr delayed ripening tomato. To date most genetic modification of foods have primarily focused on cash crops in high demand by farmers such as soybean, corn, canola, and cotton seed oil. These have been engineered for resistance to pathogens and herbicides as well as better nutrient profiles. GM livestock have also been experimentally developed, although as of November 2013 none is currently on the market. Controversies The controversy is a dispute over the use of food and other goods derived from genetically modified crops instead of conventional crops, and other uses of genetic engineering in food production. The dispute involves consumers, biotechnology companies, governmental regulators, non-governmental organisations, and scientists. The key areas of controversy are whether GM foods should be labelled, the role of government regulators, the objectivity of scientific research and publication, the effect of GM crops on health and the environment, the effect on pesticide resistance, the impact of GM crops for farmers, and the role of GM crops in feeding the world population. Proponents This group claims that there are many advantages including the following: • Crops are more productive and have a larger yield. • Potentially, offer more nutrition and flavour (although this is debatable). • A possibility that they could eliminate allergy-causing properties in some foods. • Inbuilt resistance to pests, weeds and disease. • More capable of thriving in regions with poor soil or adverse climates. • More environment friendly as they require less herbicides and pesticides. • Foods are more resistant and stay ripe for longer so they can be shipped to long distances or kept on shop shelves for longer periods. • As more GMO crops can be grown on relatively small parcels of land, they are an answer to feeding growing world populations. Corporations Some corporations insist that genetically modified foods are safe because changing a few genes here and there does not make a crop toxic or dangerous. The claim is why shouldn't we alter nature to meet our needs? And also because there are many natural organisms that human beings have transformed to serve their purpose. Critics Critics cite the dangers of GMO noting the following: • Scientists can choose which genes to manipulate, but they don't yet know where in the DNA to precisely insert these genes and they have no way of controlling gene expression. Genes don't work in isolation, changing a few could change the whole picture, with unpredictable results. • The use of genetically modified food should not be encouraged without research into the risk factors. • Not labelling is wrong and unfair to the consumers who should have the right to know what they are buying so they can decide for themselves whether they want to buy the food or not. Even if health safety factors are not an issue, some people might have moral or religious objections. They should not have to eat GMOs if they don't want to. • GM crops pose a risk to food diversity as the plants are much more dominant. • Herbicide-resistant and pesticide-resistant crops could give rise to super-weeds and super-pests that would need newer, stronger chemicals to destroy them. • GMO crops cross-pollinate with nearby non-GMO plants and could create ecological problems. If this were to happen with GMO foods containing vaccines, antibiotics, contraceptives and so on, it would very well turn into a human health nightmare. • The claim of ending world hunger with GMOs is false. World hunger is not caused by a shortage of food production, but by sheer mismanagement, and lack of access to food brought about by various social, financial and political causes. • GMO technology companies patent their crops and also engineer crops so that harvested grain germs are incapable of developing. This is not empowering to impoverished Third World farmers, who cannot save seeds for replanting and have to buy expensive seeds from the companies every year. The new technology also interferes with traditional agricultural methods which may be more suited to local environments. GMOs are not the answer to world hunger and health. Instead, focus should be on improving organic agricultural practices which are kinder to the earth and healthier for humans. • There are many more questions about genetically modified food that can only be answered through time, research and experience. Which side of the argument do you belong to ? This is the crux of the matter in the ongoing debate of GMOs. Food is an emotional topic. It matters a great deal to all of us. We are what we eat after all. The subject is also of vested interest for the corporations that manufacture genetically modified seeds and agricultural technologies. The arguments are intense and passionate.