Uganda Embraces Biotech to Curb Crop Losses

Uganda government is boosting its investment in modern biotechnology laboratories as well as human resources development to boost its agricultural productivity, the State Minister for Animal Industry and Fisheries, Bright Rwamirama, said while opening the conference on Delivering Agricultural Biotechnology to African Farmers: Linking Economic Research to Decision Making, in Entebbe, Uganda. "We have a fully equipped National Agricultural Biotechnology Center at the National Agricultural Laboratories Institute, Kawanda that was commissioned by the President of Uganda, Yoweri Museveni in August 2003. Another laboratory is being constructed at the National Crop Resource Research Institute, Namulonge,"  the minister said.

Currently, Uganda is conducting confined field trials (CFTs) of black sigatoka resistant banana, herbicide resistant cotton and Bt cotton. Virus resistant maize and cassava CFTs are expected to start soon. The minister urged African countries to embrace modern biotechnology as one way of fulfilling their pledges to reduce hunger and poverty by 2015 under the UN Millennium Development Goals (MDGs). He said food production potential on the continent are severely hampered by diseases, pests, drought and other production challenges which could be solved by biotechnology crop varieties.

For more information on this article and on biotechnology in Uganda, contact Olive Nabukonde at onabukonde@yahoo.com