2007年VOA标准英语-ECOWAS Ministers Agree on Biotechnology Plan fo

By Efam Dovi
Accra
31 March 2007

Ministers from the Economic Community of West African States have agreed to use biotechnology to increase food production in their region.  The agreement was reached at the third ECOWAS ministerial meeting on biotechnology and bio-safety, held in Accra, Ghana.  Efam Dovi reports for VOA from Accra.

For four days, experts and ECOWAS ministers of agriculture, environment, science and technology discussed the issues surrounding the use of biotechnology in farming.   Though it has been shown to increase agricultural production, some fear it could harm the environment. It is also costly¹, requiring expensive research.
 
In a communiqué issued at the end of the meeting, the ministers came down strongly in support of using biotechnology.  The communiqué said it will improve productivity, make the farming sector² more competitive and ensure sustainable management of natural resources.
 
But the communiqué also stressed that safety measures should be put in place, both at the national and regional levels, as part of the implementation⁴ process.
 
Marcel Nwalozie is from the west and central African Council for Agriculture Research and Development, an umbrella organization that co-ordinates agricultural research for west and central Africa.
 
"There is no technology that has no risk, but they have safety systems," he said.  "So what we are trying to do is assure people that this technologies have risks and we have to put in place safety mechanisms⁵."

Nwalozie says, to take advantage of developments in biotechnology, ECOWAS hopes to get financial support from regional development partners and from other sources.

"We are thinking of a regional approach, given the fact that this technology is expensive, but we know we need it," he added.  "So how can we pull our resources together to make sure we are able to use this particular tool?  It's not going to be very easy.  We expect our development partners to come to our aid, we expect the governments of the various countries gathered here to also mobilize some resources."
 
The agriculture sector in West Africa faces a number of challenges. Among them are severe weather conditions and inadequate⁶ infrastructure⁷, including poor transportation and storage facilities. Some say those issues needed to be addressed instead of adopting modern biotechnology.
 
But Ernest Debrah, Ghana's minister of Agriculture, says a comprehensive approach is being used.

"We are doing so many things concurrently⁸ to make sure that we move forward.  So it is not a question of we are doing nothing about the basics, we are doing something about free flow of goods and services, we are doing something about common agriculture policy.  What is so important about what we are doing, is that we are now doing all these things as a sub-region."
 
But the communiqué is only the first step.  It is now up to ECOWAS heads of state to implement³ it.

1 costly   

adj.昂贵的，价值高的，豪华的

参考例句：

• It must be very costly to keep up a house like this.维修这么一幢房子一定很昂贵。
• This dictionary is very useful,only it is a bit costly.这本词典很有用，左不过贵了些。

2 sector   

n.部门，部分；防御地段，防区；扇形

参考例句：

• The export sector will aid the economic recovery. 出口产业将促进经济复苏。
• The enemy have attacked the British sector.敌人已进攻英国防区。

3 implement   

n.(pl.)工具，器具；vt.实行，实施，执行

参考例句：

• Don't undertake a project unless you can implement it.不要承担一项计划，除非你能完成这项计划。
• The best implement for digging a garden is a spade.在花园里挖土的最好工具是铁锹。

4 implementation   

n.实施，贯彻

参考例句：

• Implementation of the program is now well underway.这一项目的实施现在行情看好。

5 mechanisms   

n.机械( mechanism的名词复数 )；机械装置；[生物学] 机制；机械作用

参考例句：

• The research will provide direct insight into molecular mechanisms. 这项研究将使人能够直接地了解分子的机理。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• He explained how the two mechanisms worked. 他解释这两台机械装置是如何工作的。 来自《简明英汉词典》

6 inadequate   

adj.(for,to)不充足的，不适当的

参考例句：

• The supply is inadequate to meet the demand.供不应求。
• She was inadequate to the demands that were made on her.她还无力满足对她提出的各项要求。

7 infrastructure   

n.下部构造，下部组织，基础结构，基础设施

参考例句：

• We should step up the development of infrastructure for research.加强科学基础设施建设。
• We should strengthen cultural infrastructure and boost various types of popular culture.加强文化基础设施建设，发展各类群众文化。

8 concurrently   

adv.同时地

参考例句：

• He was given two twelve month sentences to run concurrently. 他两罪均判12个月监禁，同期执行。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• He was given two prison sentences, to run concurrently. 他两罪均判监禁，同期执行。 来自辞典例句