O New York Times publicou um artigo assinado pelos presidentes do Mali e Burkina Faso, Amadou Toumani Touré e Blaise Compaoré, pedindo respeito às regras do livre comércio, distorcidas pelos subsídios agrícolas do primeiro mundo.
Our demand is simple: apply free trade rules not only to those products that are of interest to the rich and powerful, but also to those products where poor countries have a proven comparative advantage. We know that the world will not ignore our plea for a fair playing field. The World Trade Organization has said it is committed to addressing the problems of developing countries. The United States has convinced us that a free market economy provides the best opportunities for all members of the world community. Let us translate these principles into deeds at Cancún.
Ainda no New York Times, o professor de agricultura internancional da Texas A&M University e vencedor do prêmio nobel de 1970, Norman E. Borlaug, faz uma análise do potencial e das dificuldades no continente. Borlaug não fala nada sobre os subsídios do primeiro mundo, mas defende veementemente o uso dos trangênicos.
Biotechnology absolutely should be part of African agricultural reform; African leaders will be making a grievous error if they turn their backs on it. (Zambia's president notoriously barred shipments of food aid from America last year that included genetically modified corn.) Genetic technology can help produce plants with greater tolerance of insects and diseases, improve the nutritional quality of food staples and help farmers to expand the areas they cultivate. Rather than looking to European leaders, who have demonized biotechnology, African leaders ought to work to manage and regulate this technology for the benefit of their farmers and citizens.
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