They’re Coming for Our Bananas

A Bill Gates-backed GMO banana can withstand Panama disease and is being considered for sale to the public.

A work shops at an IGA supermarket in Cobar, Australia, on April 17, 2020. Jenny Evans/Getty Images

Commentary

Food Standards Australia has called for comment on the genetically modified fruit, a disease-resistant Australian Cavendish banana known as QCAV-4.

This banana variety, genetically altered to withstand Tropical Race Four disease (aka Panama disease), is currently under consideration for commercial cultivation by Queensland University of Technology (QUT).

Dr. Sandra Cuthbert, CEO of Food Standards Australia New Zealand, emphasised in a recent press release that if approved, products derived from this genetically modified (GMO) banana will be authorised for sale in Australia.

These products may include fresh fruit, dried or frozen bananas, and banana pulp, all required to be labelled as “genetically modified” to empower consumers to make informed choices.

The creation of this banana variety stems from the efforts of Professor James Dale at the Queensland University of Technology (QUT), who led QCAV-4’s development with his team. He has devoted two decades to modifying bananas.

Initially supported by a substantial grant of around $10 million from the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation in 2014, their biofortification project aimed to address Vitamin A deficiency in African populations by introducing GMO bananas in countries like Uganda.

Critics Question the Need for GMO Bananas

However, this initiative has sparked controversy, particularly in Uganda, where individuals like Bridget Mugambe, a campaigner with the Alliance for Food Sovereignty in Africa, questioned the necessity of genetically modified Vitamin A-rich bananas.

Ms. Mugambe declared, “What is eluding the Gates Foundation is the existence of diverse alternative sources of Vitamin A-rich foods that are easily planted and readily available in Uganda. The need for this Vitamin A-rich GM banana is clearly assumed, and may sadly end up destroying a food that is at the very core of our social fabric.”

A customer holds bananas in front of a fruit shelf in an organic supermarket in Saintes, western France, on Oct. 23, 2018. Georges Gobet/AFP via Getty Images

Ugandan political figures, such as Nsaba Buturo and Joy Waako, are actively pushing against the introduction of GMOs, citing concerns about food sovereignty, environmental consequences, and likening GMOs to a form of colonisation that could jeopardise traditional agriculture and local ecosystems.

Mr. Buturo said, “Food is where we as Africans still have some degree of sovereignty, but the moment they take that away, we are finished.”

Joy Waako, the Ugandan MP for Older Persons said, “These GMOs are not sustainable with our traditional seeds because they spoil our soils. You have to use pesticides to give your farm some good yields.”

The insertion of genes from a Papua New Guinean banana into the GMO banana destined for Uganda has drawn criticism for potential biopiracy, as the indigenous communities were neither consulted nor benefited from its use in the GMO project.

Critics have also pointed out that numerous beta-carotene-rich banana cultivars already exist globally, calling into question the necessity of introducing a genetically modified variety.

Additionally, concerns about the susceptibility of Cavendish bananas to diseases and the potential heavy use of chemicals to protect the crop have been raised.

Further Concerns

This current project of the GMO Banana with an antibiotic marker gene raises questions such as: if there were a commercial monoculture of Cavendish bananas and a future tropical race five disease appears, what would happen then?

Tropical Race Four disease has existed in the soil for thousands of years but when banana companies planted uniform fields of Cavendish in Asia 20 years ago, they unleashed the disease.

Oranges and bananas are displayed for sale at a shop in Northwich, United Kingdom, on April 1, 2014. Christopher Furlong/Getty Images

QUT has stated that there are no immediate plans to commercialise the GMO banana because Tropical Race Four disease is being effectively managed within Australia.

Professor Dale said, “If the [Tropical Race Four] disease gets going [in Australia] like it has in the Philippines ... we’ve got this banana in the back pocket and we’ll be able to pull it out.”

The debate extends beyond Uganda, encompassing concerns about the broader implications of GMOs, including the development of superweeds, increased pesticide use, and the dominance of a few corporations in the GMO seed market.

Opposition groups underscore the potential risks associated with GMOs, such as antibiotic resistance, health issues, environmental contamination, and corporate control over agricultural practices.

While advocates argue that GMOs offer improved food quality, easier cultivation, enhanced yields, and reduced reliance on chemicals, the potential risks and consequences associated with GMO cultivation are under close scrutiny by the Gene Technology Regulator.

This regulatory body is examining the environmental and human health risks associated with commercialising QCAV-4 bananas. A risk management plan will be developed and published in line with the Regulator’s Risk Analysis Framework.

To have your say about this GMO application, see this link. Submissions close at 6 p.m. (AEST) Nov. 6, 2023.

The applicant also is seeking a licence for the commercial cultivation of banana line QCAV-4 from the Office of the Gene Technology Regulator (OGTR).

Views expressed in this article are opinions of the author and do not necessarily reflect the views of The Epoch Times.