Uganda to Start Biotech Cotton Trials

Uganda's National Agriculture Research Organization (NARO) will soon start testing bollworm resistant cotton (BGII) and herbicide tolerant cotton, known as Roundup Ready Flex (RRF), in two major cotton growing regions of Uganda, one in the East and another in the West. NARO, a public research institution, is partnering with the private company Monsanto to access state of the art cotton biotechnologies. With assistance from the Agricultural Biotech Support Project (ABSPII), NARO negotiated an agreement under which it has gained access to privately-developed biotech cotton lines for testing under local conditions. The tests will evaluate the technology for its performance and environmental effects. Effects on social and economic factors will also be undertaken in later periods. All necessary regulatory and safety procedures have been observed and, in February 2009, NARO received an import permit for both the BGII and RRF transgenic cotton technologies.

For further information contact Dr. Tilahun Zeweldu (ABSPII Regional Advisor for Eastern Africa) at zeweldu@biopstra.org or tilazew@yahoo.com