TRANSFER OF TECHNOLOGY IN AGRICULTURE: THE
SUCCESS STORY OF TELA MAIZE
COMMUNICATION from NIGERIA AND the United
States OF AMERICA
The following communication,
dated 10 December 2024, is being circulated at the request of the delegations
of Nigeria and the United States of America.
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1. On September 24, 2024, the Committee
on Agriculture held the 2nd Thematic Session on Transfer of
Technology. Session II of the Thematic Session focused on WTO Members'
perspectives on and experiences with issues related to technology transfer in
the agricultural sector. The United States and Nigeria co-sponsored a
presentation[1]
on the TELA Mazie Project as a case study on successful technology transfer to
agricultural producers. Representatives of Bayer CropScience and the African
Agricultural Technology Foundation (AATF) delivered the presentation,
highlighting the success of the TELA Maize Project through partnership of
several organizations.
2. The TELA Maize Project demonstrates
effective technology transfer in the agricultural sector through a
collaborative approach undertaken by public organizations and private
institutions. The joint presentation by Bayer CropScience and the AATF
underscored the role of this collaboration in advancing transgenic corn from
confined field trials to commercial market distribution in Kenya, Ethiopia,
Mozambique, Nigeria and South Africa. As a result of the TELA Maize
public-private partnerships, smallholder farmers in certain developing
countries gained access to transgenic corn seed, developed to deliver benefits
such as drought tolerance, disease resistance and increased yields.
3. In addition to the productivity
benefits to smallholder farmers, the presenters discussed the importance of WTO
Members adopting and maintaining national regulatory approaches that enable
farmers to access transgenic seed technologies. The presenters highlighted the
enabling regulatory environment in Nigeria that authorized farmers to initially
conduct field trials of the DroughtTEGO hybrid seed.
4. WTO Members should continue to share
experiences of successful technology transfer in the agricultural sector that
highlight the effectiveness of regulatory regimes that enable innovation and
demonstrate the utility of public-private partnerships.
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