I-Bangladesh isemdeni wokwenza esinye sezona zigqibo zibalulekileyo kwimbali yezityalo ze-GM: Inokuba lilizwe lokuqala lokurhweba nokukhula irayisi egolide.
Esi sityalo singummangaliso sithembisa ukusindisa ubomi kunye nokukhusela ubumfama ebantwaneni. Ipakishwe nge-beta carotene kwiidreyini eziphuzi ezikhuthaza igama lazo, irayisi yegolide ibambe amandla okususa i ukusilela kweVitamin-A ebangele ukubandezeleka okungaka kumazwe asaphuhlayo.
Intlawulo enkulu: Uqikelelo 1 million people die each year because they don’t have enough vitamin A in their food. Uninzi lwabo ngabantwana. Isiqingatha esongeziweyo sabantu abaziimfama sihamba singaboni.
I’ve observed poverty, ukungondleki kunye nezifo phezulu apha kwiiPhilippines, where I’m a farmer who grows corn and rice. Ngaphezulu komntu omnye kwabahlanu kwiFilipinos endikunye nayo ehlala kubuhlwempu. Imeko iba mandundu ngakumbi e-Bangladesh. I-per-capita GDP yayo emalunga nesiqingatha sezinto esizonwabelayo kwiiPhilippines.
Intlupheko ngunobangela wokungondleki kunye nokungondleki kunika naliphi na inani leengxaki ezinzima ezineziphumo zexesha elide. Inokulwenza lukhule ukhula kuzo zonke iindlela zobusuku, ukusuka kubume bomzimba ukuya kumandla engqondo. Kwiimeko ezimbi kakhulu, iyabulala.
Iindaba ezimnandi zezokuba irayisi yegolide inokuphelisa ukusetyenziswa kweevithamini A kumazwe ahluphekayo apho irayisi kukutya okungekho lula. Ukuphunyezwa kwayo okulawulayo kuya kwenza ukuba abantu baphile kwaye umbono wabo ucocekile. All they’d have to do is keep eating the rice-based meals just like they do today.
Inzululwazi ibonisa ukuba irayisi yegolide ikhuselekile. We’ve studied it for two decades. Abalawuli e-Australia, Khanada, Nyu Zilend, kwaye iUnited States iyamkele – kodwa akukho mntu wumbi kula mazwe ofuna irayisi yegolide. Bafumana ivithamini A eyaneleyo kwizidlo zabo ukuze kungabikho ntengiso.
Imeko yahlukile kwelaseAsia. Ngaphaya apha, irayisi yegolide yayiya kunceda amakhulu ezigidi zabantu abakumazwe anjengeIndiya, Indoneshiya, kunye neVietnam.
I-Bangladesh kunye nePhilippines nabo baya kuxhamla, Yiyo loo nto oososayensi kumazwe ethu mabini befunde irayisi egolide kwaye batyhalela phambili kurhwebo. I’ve tried to do my small part as well, ubhala egameni leerayisi Apha kwaye Apha.
Iiveki ezimbalwa ezidlulileyo, Kwavakala ukuba iBangladesh iza kwenza isaziso esibalulekileyo malunga nelayisi yegolide EyeNkanga 15. Ilindele ukuvunywa kwayo ngokusemthethweni, Imithombo yeendaba kwihlabathi jikelele yalungisa isigubungelo sayo. Ngaba i-Bangladesh iya kuba lilizwe lokuqala eliphuhlileyo ukwamkela le GMO? Ngaba amanye amazwe anokulandela umzekelo wayo, ukuvunywa kwesityalo ukuze abalimi babo bakhule kwaye abathengi batye?
Kodwa ngoNovemba 15 weza ehamba ngaphandle kwesimemezelo. Mhlawumbi isigqibo siya kufika kwiveki ezayo, okanye mhlawumbi kwinyanga ezayo. We just don’t know.
We remain right where we’ve been, bambelela kwilayini edakumbayo yokuqonda ingxaki embi, ukwazi isisombululo esithile, kwaye ungenzi nto.
The reasons behind Bangladesh’s delay are unclear, but it’s easy to speculate about the political pressures its policymakers face. Apha kwiiPhilippines, Iintshaba ezingaqondanga kakuhle kwezendalo itshatyalalisiwe indawo yokuvavanywa kwerayisi-yegolide ngaphakathi 2013. Jonga umbono onqabayo ukunyamezelana nokubuza kwesayensi, they launched a violent attack on a tool that can fight malnutrition and their extreme tactics unfortunately have succeeded in delaying the approval of golden rice.
I’ve planted GM corn on my farm for years. I prefer these crops because they’ve protected my crops from pests that would have destroyed it, Ndivumela ukuba ndikhulise ukutya okuthe kratya kumhlaba omncinci. That’s good for the environment as well as the food security of my country. It’s also good for me as a ngumlimi. Ingeniso eyongezelelweyo yandinceda ekuhlawuleni imfundo yabantwana bam.
I’d love to have the opportunity to plant golden rice – and I’m hoping that an approval in Bangladesh would lead to an approval in the Philippines.
Incwadi entsha kaEd Regis, Umbhali wesayensi ngugqirha kwifilosofi kwenza Ityala elichukumisayo lesi sityalo sitsha. “Iziphumo zokubamba, ukulibazisa, okanye ukugcinwa kophuhliso lwerayisi yegolide ngomgaqo ogqithileyo kubeke iindleko ezingacimekiyo ngokubona kunye nobomi balahleko.,” he writes in ‘Golden Rice: Ukuzalwa okungafanelekanga kwe-GMO Superfood,’ Ipapashwe nguJohns Hopkins University Press.
It’s time to stop the suffering and take up golden rice. I’m hopeful Bangladesh does the right thing and shows us the way.