MPs Visit Biotech Cotton Field in Ghana

Ghanaian Members of the Parliament of select committees on food and agriculture and environment and trade visited the Bt cotton confined trial site at Nyankpala in North Ghana to be familiar with biotechnology. The Bt cotton trials is part of Savanna Agricultural Research Institute of the Council for Scientific and Industrial Research (CSIR-SARI) project on the introduction of GMOs and biotechnology products in Ghana.

According to Dr. Ahmed Yakubu Alhassan, Deputy Minister of Food and Agriculture (MOFA) in-charge of Crops, scientific evolution had come to stay and the country could not afford to be left behind. He also said that genetic modification would not replace conventional techniques in agricultural production because farmers can still choose the best system that works for them. On the other hand, Dr. Emmanuel Chamba of CSIR-SARI urged the government to establish an effective body to regulate the cotton industry.

The field visit was organized by Program for Biosafety Systems.

For more details, visit http://biotech.einnews.com/article/232112668/MuggY9oyimCutn7y.