Prime
Need for biotechnology adoption
The plant may need to be supported carry the weight of the bunch by staking. Photo/File.
What you need to know:
- Farming has become more scientific and all farmers must be helped to understand the advantage of planting improved seeds.
There was an agricultural show held on Tuesday last week at Namulonge Agricultural Research Institute where a number of products were displayed, ranging from a small hand controlled tractor used for planting seeds to quality planting material and beautifully woven mats made out of banana (plantain) fibre.
Farming has become more scientific and all farmers must be helped to understand the advantage of planting improved seeds and adoption of scientific farming technologies.
Today, with the onset of climate change, agriculture is facing many challenges that include unpredictable weather patterns and extreme weather conditions --- hot temperatures, destructive rainstorms, long droughts, indomitable pests and incurable crop diseases.
In their different speeches one speaker after another called for a law to regulate the usage of modern biotechnology.
The chief guest was the Usaid Mission Director in Uganda, Richard Nelson, who commended the efforts of the National Agricultural Research Organisation (Naro) that are aimed at getting improved seeds, higher yields, improved nutrition, and a cleaner environment.
Both Dr Yona Baguma who heads Naro and Dr William Olaho-Mukani, Chairman of Naro Governing Council, called for a regulatory law to guide biotechnology adoption.
According to Uganda Bureau of Statistics (UBOS) Uganda produced 8.3 million metric tonnes of bananas (plantain) in 2019, an increase of 28 percent from about 6.5 million metric tonnes in 2018.
This is not to suggest that we are producing sufficient food for our population which is almost 47 million to date.
If the cost of bananas is skyrocketing it is because we still don’t produce enough of the crop to satisfy the demand.
Bananas are under attack by the incurable Banana Bacterial Wilt, just as cassava is under attack by the incurable Cassava Brown Streak Disease.
The farmers should be planting bananas and cassava that are resistant to the incurable diseases.
We need to improve nutrition cheaply by eating bananas already fused with the necessary nutrients, especially for pregnant women and children.
Our farmers need to be assisted to access seeds that lead to higher yields and are tolerant to long drought conditions.
In their state of the art laboratories constructed with taxpayers’ money and donor funds, the scientists in Naro have used modern biotechnology to address the major productivity, natural resources protection, value addition, and nutrition challenges but the absence of a law to regulate modern biotechnology is slowing down their effort.
Mr Michael J Ssali is a veteran journalist,
[email protected]
