Setting the Stage for Biotech Cotton in West Africa: Bt Cotton in Burkina Faso

Since 2003, Monsanto has been working with the government of Burkina Faso to assess the potential value of transgenic insect control technology in cotton, the country's leading export crop (>50% of export dollars), and its leading industry in terms of employment. The road to commercial release of biotech cotton has been challenging, due mainly to the lack of enabling regulatory structures to assess, approve, and market biotechnology products. This presentation will describe the many partnerships forged and their efforts to build a testing regime, and a robust regulatory framework to ensure grower access to the benefits of biotech cotton and to future safe, effective biotech products.