Uganda: Next Generation Cotton

Cotton is one of Uganda's most significant cash crops and is an important source of income for thousands of small scale farmers in the country. In July 2009, Uganda's National Agricultural Research Organization (NARO) began field testing insect-resistant Bollgard II and herbicide-resistant Roundup Ready Flex cotton. NARO gained access to these biotechnologies through a public-private partnership with Monsanto, the developer of the technologies. NARO is now testing the suitability of these technologies for Uganda through field trials in Eastern and Western Uganda. The field tests were made possible as Uganda has established regulations to oversee the testing of biotech crops. The Agricultural Biotechnology Support Project II (ABSPII), funded by the United States Agency for International Development (USAID) and led by Cornell University, brokered the partnership between NARO and Monsanto. ABSPII provides technical and resource support to NARO and other public sector partners in Uganda.

Source: Crop Biotech Update, 31^st July 2009