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AFRICA– GM COTTON FOR UGANDA
5 November 2008 Source: Allafrica.com
Source: http://allafrica.com/stories/200811060393.html
Uganda: Soroti Scientists to Revive Cotton Growing
Scientists in Soroti are set to start a research in the genetically modified cotton in a bid to rescue farmers from the conventional cotton which had suffered a set back in production due to the ball warm pest thereby resulting into poor yields.
The Director of the National Semi Arid Resources Research Institute, Serere (NaSARRI), Dr Tom Areke with his team have already ploughed approximately one acre of land on the institute land for the field trials.
The government recently gave a go ahead for scientists to carry out research on the genetically modified cotton just as they have been doing on other crops such as the East African High land banana and cassava.
NaSARRI is one of the science research centres chosen to carry out the trial with the other centre being Mubuku in Western Uganda.
The National Agricultural Research Organisation (Naro) in conjunction with the programme for Biosafety Systems is already training the farm managers from the two centres who will manage the research work.
The programme director for Biosafety Systems, Dr Thereza Sengoba last week conducted a one day training for managers in both centres at NaSARRI in Soroti where a group of scientists from Malawi participated in the training to share their experience with the scientists in Uganda.
Dr Areke is optimistic that in case the research proves successful, it will be of advantage to the farmers in Teso who basically depend on cotton growing for their income since the Karamojong invaded them and took away all their cattle.
Dr Areke while presenting a paper "The Biology of Cotton" said, the genetically modified cotton if introduced in Uganda will be cost effective because it will reduce the cost of spraying. It is at the same time environmental friendly. He said Teso and other parts of northern Uganda where the land is semi arid, the genetically modified cotton farming will prove successful because it is resistant to several factors in weather changes. He said the field trial will serve as a multi- purpose research tool where science students pursuing agricultural science courses in various universities will access the research work in the trial when they come for their internship at the institute.
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