In 2018, President Uhuru Kenyatta under his Big Four Agenda made an announcement… allowing the cultivation of Genetically Modified cotton to boost the manufacturing sector in the country.
The announcement superseded a 2012 ban that had been put in place, prohibiting importation or cultivation of GMO crops in the country, unless it is done under confined trials for research purposes.
The performance of this GM cotton, which is four times more yielding than the conventional one, has been a driving factor towards the adoption of Bt cotton.
One stem of Bt cotton produces 40 bolls while conventional varieties produce 15 to 20 bolls, making the new variety superior.
The government is projecting that by 2022 between 40,000 and 200,000 farmers will have taken up GMO cotton as it seeks to revive the textile sector that collapsed for lack of raw material.
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“This GM cotton is pest-resistant and drought-tolerant and it is the solution to the notorious bollworms that have been affecting the production of the crop in the country,” said Charles Waturu, a senior scientist with Kenya Agriculture Livestock and Research Organisation (Kalro).
