Biotechnology could play a role in staving off a food crisis not only in South Africa, but also in the rest of the world, says agricultural biotechnology corporation Monsanto sub-Saharan Africa MD Kobus Lindeque.

He says that there has never been a better opportunity to pursue biotechnology, owing to the growing need for food and agricultural development. He notes that South Africa is producing surplus amounts of crops and, through biotechnology, could even become an exporter, and help ease the current global food crisis.

"South Africa will this year produce 11-million tons of food from 2,7-million hectares. On average, we only use between seven, and eight, million tons of food. We, therefore, have a surplus of food. Ten years ago, South Africa produced maize on five-million hectares. So, with biotechnologies in place, one can assume that it would not give us less than 60-million tons of maize," he says.

However, there is still a degree of public scepticism about biotechnology and its safety.

One lobby group, Biowatch South Africa, continually points out that there are disagreements within the science community about the long-term safety of genetically-modified (GM) crops for human health and the environment.

It is particularly concerned that South Africa does not have compulsory labelling of GM crops and food. The nongovernmental orgainisation is also seeking to galvanised more vigilance in South Africa, particularly about what it describes as "misleading advertising from the GM industry".

But Monsanto insists that biotechnology will be important in dealing with the food crisis and the the products are safe.

Lindeque states that the world is "on its way" to major food shortages, with the maize inventory currently at its lowest in 38 years. At this rate, he says, even wealthy people could soon start to struggle to obtain food. He asserts, therefore, that Africa, whose food production average is only 1,2 t/ha, needs to start being more self-sufficient in food production, a scenario which he believes is realistic.

"If one looks at soil and climatic conditions in Africa, there is no reason why any farmer in Africa cannot produce 5t /ha, especially with biotechnologies coming in, " he says.

Monsanto CEO Europe and Africa Consuelo Madere says that South African farmers have seen first hand the benefit of using biotechnology in terms of quality, quantity, ease of use, yield, reducing pesticide use, and making maize more efficient.

Contrary to negative perceptions that often surround it, Madere believes that use of the technology is crucial to increasing and bettering the country's food supply. She adds that farmers in South Africa are willingly planting using this technology.

Monsanto South Africa is celebrating ten years of commercial biotechnology crops in South Africa. During this time, biotechnology use has dramatically increased.

"In 1999, only 2% of corn planted in South Africa had biotech traits in it. This number rose to 60% in 2007. By 2012, we expect to continue to see more trait adoption, and more stacked product-corn with two traits," she says.

Madere notes that South Africa is the only country in Africa that has developed biotechnology in the last ten years. However, Monsantois currently conducting field tests in other African countries such as Zimbabwe, Kenya, and Burkina Faso, and will be planting yield-yard maize in Egypt for the first time this year.

Madere says that while there has been negativity surrounding the technology in Europe, there have been recent positive signs as well, with more and more countries in the European Union planting using this technology, despite there often being restrictions and resistance.

Since the technology was developed 12 years ago in the US, 23 countries have adopted biotechnology, and over 12-million farmers plant using the technology, despite the fact that many of these farmers come from poorer developing nations.

Madere attributes the global rise in biotechnology to an increase in gross domestic product in the developing world, which has led to a change in diet and an increased need for protein, putting pressure on global crop supplies. China's growth as an economic force is also driving major changes in the export environment, she notes, while biofuels development is having an impact as well, albeit a small one.

Madere say that for agriculture to be sustainable, there needs to be a decrease in food production over the next 40 years, and a conservation of natural resources such as water and energy. The lives of farmers around the world also need to be improved, she states, with many farmers still earning only a dollar a day.

Biotechnology can be defined as any technological application that uses biological systems, living organisms, or their derivatives , to make or modify products or processes for specific use, and is often referred to as 'genetic engineering'.

However, there is still a degree of public scepticism about biotechnology and its safety.

One lobby group, Biowatch South Africa, continually points out that there are disagreements within the science community about the long-term safety of genetically-modified (GM) crops for human health and the environment.

It is particularly concerned that South Africa does not have compulsory labelling of GM crops and food.

The nongovernmental orgainisation is also seeking to galvanised more vigilance in South Africa, particularly about what it describes as "misleading advertising from the GM industry".