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Al-Ahram Weekly 15 - 21 April 1999 Issue No. 425 
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Published in Cairo by AL-AHRAM established in 1875 |
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Al-Ahram Weekly 15 - 21 April 1999 Issue No. 425
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| Published in Cairo by AL-AHRAM established in 1875 |
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Egypt Region International Economy Opinion Culture Profile Features Travel Living Sports People Time Out Chronicles Cartoons Letters Egyptian cotton made in US
by Sherine NasrHow genetic engineering is being used to transform traditional products is set to become one of the most important issues affecting humanity as we enter the 21st century. Scientists are quite alarmed at the wide-ranging effects on world economies of the new science that manipulates genetic structures.
"The best long fibre Egyptian cotton is now cultivated in Texas," said Nabil El-Sayed, professor of environmental health at the Walter Reed Army Institute of Research in Washington DC, who has been working for the American army for the past 30 years.
"This genetically treated cotton has many advantages over the Egyptian traditionally cultivated one. It is softer, with a longer fibre, it resists pests and does not cause sweating, it grows faster and produces bigger quantities. In short, it is better in quality and quantity," commented El-Sayed.
The sad fact is that the US, which used to be the biggest importer of Egyptian cotton, no longer purchases Egypt's once best agricultural product. Moreover, the new product has managed to dominate many European and South American markets, and it is sold under the name 'Egyptian cotton', making use of the worldwide fame this product has gained over the years.
Although it took American companies 25 years of studies and millions of dollars to come up with this product, many questions about this development need yet to be asked. First, how ethical is it to use the name Egyptian cotton for a non-Egyptian product, and, secondly, how fair is it to drive one country out of the market and replace it with another that has the money to carry out incredibly expensive research?
"It is not ethics or justice that will dominate the world's attitude towards genetic research. Money does," said El-Sayed, adding that Egypt, unfortunately, concluded that it cannot possibly compete with the US in this new technology and decided to withdraw from the US market. "And that was not the right attitude to adopt."
El-Sayed noted that similar experiments are now being carried out in the US to grow Egyptian rice which is famous for its taste. "A number of American companies were willing to cooperate with the Egyptian Ministry of Agriculture, but as it refused without giving clear reasons, they went ahead with their research," he said.
Compliance with environmental safety measures during industrial operations is another tool advanced countries strictly apply which can have very adverse effects on the economies of Third World countries. "The US Congress is in the process of approving a new bill that forbids importing any goods from nations that do not comply with international environmental safety standards," said El-Sayed. These have to do, among other things, with industrial waste management, energy consumption, the environment in which workers operate, and the use of chemicals in the industrial process. "If this bill is passed, it can deal a big blow to the economies of Third World countries, including Egypt," commented El-Sayed.
It is worth noting that until 1997, the majority of public sector companies in Egypt as well as those in the private sector had not complied with any environmental regulations. "It is horrifying to know that until the beginning of 1998, 100 million cubic metres of industrial wastewater were discharged into the Nile without any treatment in most cases," said Ibrahim Abdel-Gelil, executive director of the Egyptian Environmental Affairs Agency.
Even when the three-year grace period stipulated by Egypt's Environment Law, issued in 1994, came to an end, very little had been done by the industrial sector to comply with the stipulations of the law. "It was only when industrialists realised that the lack of environmental standards in their production can be the biggest obstacle hindering their exports abroad that they became willing to comply," said Abdel-Gelil.
According to Ossama El-Kholi, a renowned scientist, to enter the international market one has to comply with international environmental standards. "The ISO 14000 is now recognised as the world's standard for proper environmental management, yet stricter specifications will soon be required and have to be maintained," he said.
So far, the industrial sector has spent LE350 million to improve its environmental performance. The amount is expected to rise to three billion pounds within the next five years.
Because environmental safety and economic wealth are becoming more entwined, it is alarming to know that, according to a recent American study, the intelligence of young children under the age of seven was reported to drop by three per cent because of air being polluted with excessive amounts of lead.
"This simply interprets into the loss of billions of pounds in the near future," commented El-Sayed.
The rationalisation of water use will be one of the hottest environmental disputes in the next millennium. "If we continue to use water the same way we have been doing for the past 200 years, there will be a disaster," said El-Sayed. "Wars will erupt because of lack of water, not petroleum," he commented.
Alarmingly, Egypt's wealth of natural lakes is being wasted because of pollution. "Different authorities claim responsibility over the lakes but no one is willing to take action when it comes to preserving them," said Abdel-Gelil. One example is Al-Manzalah Lake which used to provide 14 per cent of the total fish catch in Egypt. "Al-Manzalah used to yield 63,000 tons of the best quality fish every year. In 1998 its production dropped by 90 per cent due to [water] pollution," said Ahmed Abdel-Mohsen from the Ministry of Trade and Supply.
