Farmers anxiously wait for Uganda’s GMO potato
Farmers in Uganda and elsewhere frequently apply fungicides to protect their potato crops from the devastating late blight disease (LBD), which can ruin the entire harvest. Ugandan scientists have used the tools of genetic engineering to make a popular potato variety, the Victoria, resistant to LBD — reducing the need for fungicides. But Uganda’s politicians must approve the nation’s long-awaited biosafety bill before small-holder farmers can benefit from this innovative new crop.
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