The use of GM seeds has caused poor harvests and very low-quality yields. The African country has demanded 74 million euros in compensation from Monsanto.
In 2003 Monsanto, the agribiotech giant recently acquired by German pharmaceutical company Bayer, introduced its GM cotton seeds in Burkina Faso, promising farmers richer harvests, greater profits and less work. Thirteen years later, Burkina Faso decided to abandon GM seeds for good — seeds that, despite those promises, produced very poor-quality cotton and, consequently, meagre earnings.
"The length of the cotton fibre after ginning is shorter and does not meet market requirements," reads a statement from the Burkinabé government. The removal of GM crops will take place gradually, with full elimination planned by 2018. Burkina Faso is the first African country to sever ties with Monsanto, drawing praise from other countries in the region, such as Sudan, Egypt and South Africa.
Abandoning Monsanto's Bt cotton (the seed known as Bollgard II was genetically modified to produce insect-resistant cotton) and returning to traditional varieties immediately yielded extremely positive results. The harvest was indeed abundant and provided excellent-quality cotton, much in demand on the international market. The return to origins is also linked to the new democratic government, born out of the revolution that overturned the dictatorship that had been strangling the nation for nearly thirty years.
Monsanto had not honoured the promises made to Burkina Faso; farmers had been guaranteed that every hectare planted with Bt cotton would yield around four to six tonnes of cotton. The average instead proved to be significantly lower: 1.1 tonnes per hectare. The American multinational attributed the disastrous results of GM cotton to the improper use of their product by farmers.
Monsanto's cotton had serious repercussions on the economy of Burkina Faso, one of the poorest countries on the planet, and over the past five years caused damages quantified at 73 million euros. The Burkinabé government therefore asked Monsanto to compensate this sum, both for lost revenue and for the reputational damage inflicted on Burkina Faso's cotton, known as "white gold" — the country's second most important resource.
The decision by Burkina Faso, which could have repercussions on the policies of other countries, represents a defeat for Monsanto and for genetically modified organisms, which in this case proved detrimental in terms of financial losses and product quality. It is, on the contrary, an important recognition for small farming communities and their age-old knowledge.