The following is an edited excerpt.
Tanzania plans to start growing Bt cotton by 2020 once the Government aided research comes up with a solution to the existing red bollworm problem, Charles Kitwanga, Deputy Minister in the Vice President’s office, has said.
Replying to a question posed by a Member of Parliament on behalf of the Minister for Agriculture, Food Security and Cooperatives, Mr. Kitwanga said the research on Bt cotton is aimed at understanding the extent of the problem.
The current findings show that the spread of bollworm had been increasing every year, since the research began about three years ago, Tanzania Daily News reported quoting the Minister.
Mr. Kitwanga said the Government was preparing a strategy to start growing Bt Cotton in Tanzania, as it would have greater resistance to such worms and was also drought-resistant.
The research into Bt cotton will take between 6 and 8 years, he said.
Read the original article in its entirety here: Tanzania plans to grow Bt cotton by 2020
