Antony Bugembe and John Kasozi
8 August 2008
Kampala — A computerised greenhouse for genetically modified bananas has been opened at Kawanda Agricultural Research Institute.
The USAID funded sh800m biotechnology facility, used for the early evaluation of genetically modified disease-resistant highland bananas developed in Uganda, was commissioned by the agriculture minister, Hilary Onek, on Thursday.
The minister asked the researchers to carry out tests to ensure that the modified foods are safe for human consumption.
"The plants that feed us are faced with changing environment. New viruses attack them. Our scientists have to continue breeding new disease-resistant varieties," he said.
In April 2008, government adopted a comprehensive policy on biotechnology and bio-safety. Drafting of a bill to operationalise this policy is in progress. To beef up agricultural research funding, Onek proposed a 2% tax on agribusinesses and a 5% tax on seed companies.
"We are among the leading banana researchers in the world. Therefore, we should find a way of retaining our scientists who are on high demand. Facilitating them well will motivate the scientists to come up with better products. That is why we need to develop a consolidated account for research," explained Onek.
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