Uganda: GM Cotton Trials Approved

Matt Hopkins Posted by Matt Hopkins|29 January 2008

Field trials of genetically modified (GM) cotton have been approved in Uganda, according to www.AllAfrica.com. This makes cotton the country’s second GM crop after bananas to be approved by the the National Biosafety Committee (NBC).

The GM cotton to be planted is to be resistant to the cotton bollworm and tolerant to herbicides. The trials will be carried out by scientists at the National Semi-Arid Resources Research Institute (NaSARRI) in Soroti and Mobuku.

Early last year, scientists at the National Agricultural Biotechnology Centre (NABC) in Kawanda planted GM bananas resistant to Black Sigatoka disease, which causes premature drying and death of banana leaves, leading to significant reduction in yields.