Genetically modified cotton trials loom closer in Uganda

Uganda is soon to import genetically modified cotton seeds from the South African branch of Delta & Pineland, the Monsanto-owned seed company. Uganda signed a memorandum of understanding with Monsanto in 2006 to allow field trials on the imported seed to test its local performance.

"Monsanto will give us seed tolerant to herbicides and boll worm," said Tilahun Zeweldu, biotechnology advisor for Agriculture Productivity Enhancement Programme (APEP), a USAID project. He said Uganda was hoping to transfer the modified gene in the new variety into local Ugandan cotton through "back-breeding." Confined field trials will be carried out to test its performance in different regions.

Cotton in Uganda, which is grown in both the western and eastern parts of the country, has since the 1970s been overtaken by other exports such as flowers, fish, gold, tea and coffee topping the list. The country produces about 150,000 185-kg bales of lint cotton per year, compared to three decades ago when exports reached 500,000 bales. All Ugandan cotton is currently exported as lint.

In areas like South Africa where Bt cotton is grown, farmers have increased their yield from four bales per hectare to eight with new varieties, scientists say. However, Zeweldu cautioned,"It is unlikely that the farmers in Kasese (a region of Uganda) will embrace the Bt cotton because the cotton grown there already has a strong resistance to disease and the yields are high."

"Farmers might also just refuse to buy into a new technology," said Herbert Kirunda, an official in charge of cotton commercialisation at APEP. Officials from the national Cotton Development Organisation said farmers will also have to pay for the Bt cotton seeds.

Kirunda said Ugandan cotton fetches a premium price because it is hand picked and has high quality. He projected that if farmers embrace the technology annual production levels will double. Another barrier remains, though, in that the Uganda National Council of Science and Technology is however yet to issue an import permit to bring in the Monsanto seed.

Maize, Soya and cotton remain the three principal genetically modified crops in wide use. Uganda has embraced GM technology as has South Africa and some other African states, despite wide-spread opposition in some markets such as the EU over feared environmental and health impacts.

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