September 5, 2020
(New Vision)
Prossy Nandudu writes in New Vision that Ugandan farmers are eager to access disease-resistant GMO cassava after visiting field trial sites, and urging the government to clear a path to its release.
“‘With biotechnology, traits for resistance to a particular disease are taken from one crop and introduced into another to increase its ability to resist diseases and pests, explained Dr Titus Alicai from NaCRRI.
“‘Using biotechnology, researchers have developed cassava crops that are resistant to brown streak and mosaic, and have been tested in research stations across the country, to understand their adaptability to different agro ecologies, with the participation of farmers.
“‘Although farmers are demanding for resistant varieties, those developed through biotechnology can only be released under a clear regulatory framework’, he added.”
