It is estimated that the economic gain from biotech crops or genetically modified organisms (GMO) in South Africa in 2013 alone was $313-million, which shows that biotechnology, has a positive economic impact on the country, according to Department of Science and Technology director-general Phil Mjwara.

Speaking at the Public Perceptions of Biotechnology survey results presentation in Pretoria, Mjwara noted that South Africa grew more than 2.7-million hectares of genetically modified (GM) crops in 2014.

“Between 86% and 90% of maize and soy is GM and 100% of cotton is GM,” he said, adding that, while GM crops have been approved and adopted in South Africa by science-based regulatory systems and farmers, they still remain a source of public controversy.

“While it is appropriate for the public to have varying opinions on GM crops, it is important to provide scientific evidence where deliberate misinformation is offered,” he said.

Mjwara pointed out that the biosafety of any GMO is regulated in South Africa under various Acts and regulations, complemented by different institutions and approaches.

Meanwhile, the survey of the South African public’s perceptions of biotechnology focused broadly on biotechnology and on more specific areas, such as agricultural biotechnology, medical biotechnology and indigenous biotechnology knowledge.

The survey shows there has been a major increase in attitudes that favour buying GM food, with the proportion of the public that would buy GM food on the basis of health considerations increasing from 59% to 77%.

The public’s attitudes towards buying on the basis of cost considerations and environmental considerations have also increased from 51% to 73% and 50% to 68% respectively.

When it comes to knowledge about biotechnology, the study reveals that most South Africans report having little or no knowledge about biotechnology.

“A younger and more privileged group reports considerably greater knowledge than older and less privileged groups. Almost half of the public feel that biotechnology is too specialised for them to understand,” the survey says.

It further reveals that South Africans have used biotechnology in the context of indigenous knowledge systems (IKSs) and practices.

For instance, groups with low incomes and low levels of education may find it difficult to engage with concepts of mainstream biotechnology, though they harbour rich traditions of knowledge and IKS practice that may be successfully leveraged to build greater awareness of biotechnology.