Joshua Kato
AllAfrica.com - Washington,USA
Kampala — BIOTECHNOLOGY is a system where bioscience is used on research to identify better yielding crops that resist certain diseases and separate other diseases that attack crops.
"The use of biotechnology eases the process of solving problems that would have taken years to solve," says Dr. Andrew Kiggundu, the head of the biotechnology centre at Kawanda. Experts in bioscience are located at key research centres in Uganda, including Kawanda and Namulonge.
Being a new system in Uganda, however, it is still dogged by beliefs that, experts say, are misconceived.
"All the misconceptions about biotechnology are not true. I have been in this field for many years. I have eaten foods that have been generated this way, but I do not have trees growing over my head," Dr. Arinaitwe, who is in charge of adding vital nutrients to matooke, says.
Dr. Arinaitwe says bananas are the most consumed food in Uganda, although they lack vital elements like Vitamin A and iron. In using biotechnology, bananas can be fortified with these major growth elements.
Dr. Titus Alicai maintains that, had it not been for biotechnology, the fight against a range of viruses ravaging crops across the country would have been much slower.
In the last 30 years, viruses have attacked coffee, cassava, bananas and other crops. Between 1993 and 1999, cassava was almost wiped out of the country by the cassava mosaic virus.
"But this process (biotechnology) helps scientists split and identify the exact viruses that are disturbing crops," he says.
The process may involve picking plant cells from one crop species and mixing it with cells from another crop species to create a better product.
Under the banana fortification project, cells from crops rich in vitamins and iron are mixed with banana cells to create a banana that is rich in vitamins and iron.
The public must be sensitised about the advantages of agricultural biotechnology for the programmes to succeed.
May 4, 2009
A brighter outlook
Thanh Nien Daily - Ho Chi Minh City,Vietnam
Overall, exports of rice, gemstones, cassava and certain other primary goods increased in the last four months. Vietnam posted a trade surplus for the first four months of the year, swinging from a deficit in the same period a year earlier.The country recorded a surplus of $801 million through April, compared with a shortfall of more than $11 billion in the same period a year earlier.
Going by the economic figures for the last four months, released last week by the General Statistics Office, we might say Vietnam’s economy has bottomed and will begin to strengthen in the second quarter of 2009.
Agriculture, forestry and fisheries continued to grow, countering unemployment, inflation and fears of deflation, and assisting the export industry.
Although the industrial output growth rate was far less than the same period last year, optimistic signs can be seen.
Manufacturing growth in April reached 5.4 percent while the rate in the first quarter was only 2.6 percent.
Vietnam attracted some US$6.4 billion in foreign direct investment in the first four months of this year.
Additional investments in existing projects totaled $3.9 billion, or $1.4 billion more than newly registered investments in the period.
This fact shows investors have continued to see good results and great potential in Vietnam. Such trust is the most important thing in this time of recession.
Exports in April were down from March but some key items went up, notably electronics, footwear and garments.
Overall, exports of rice, gemstones, cassava and certain other primary goods increased in the last four months.
Vietnam posted a trade surplus for the first four months of the year, swinging from a deficit in the same period a year earlier.
The country recorded a surplus of $801 million through April, compared with a shortfall of more than $11 billion in the same period a year earlier.
Exports declined a bare 0.1 percent to $18.64 billion, while imports plunged 41 percent to $17.84 billion.
Gold re-export contributed the bulk of the surplus. Re-exporting gold was a necessary move to draw out private gold hoards, improve the trade balance, boost foreign currency reserves, and maintain the dong’s value.
The consumer price index fell for the first time in last year’s fourth quarter but rose slightly in the last four months, allaying fears of both inflation and deflation.
By Ngoc Minh
Overall, exports of rice, gemstones, cassava and certain other primary goods increased in the last four months. Vietnam posted a trade surplus for the first four months of the year, swinging from a deficit in the same period a year earlier.The country recorded a surplus of $801 million through April, compared with a shortfall of more than $11 billion in the same period a year earlier.
Going by the economic figures for the last four months, released last week by the General Statistics Office, we might say Vietnam’s economy has bottomed and will begin to strengthen in the second quarter of 2009.
Agriculture, forestry and fisheries continued to grow, countering unemployment, inflation and fears of deflation, and assisting the export industry.
Although the industrial output growth rate was far less than the same period last year, optimistic signs can be seen.
Manufacturing growth in April reached 5.4 percent while the rate in the first quarter was only 2.6 percent.
Vietnam attracted some US$6.4 billion in foreign direct investment in the first four months of this year.
Additional investments in existing projects totaled $3.9 billion, or $1.4 billion more than newly registered investments in the period.
This fact shows investors have continued to see good results and great potential in Vietnam. Such trust is the most important thing in this time of recession.
Exports in April were down from March but some key items went up, notably electronics, footwear and garments.
Overall, exports of rice, gemstones, cassava and certain other primary goods increased in the last four months.
Vietnam posted a trade surplus for the first four months of the year, swinging from a deficit in the same period a year earlier.
The country recorded a surplus of $801 million through April, compared with a shortfall of more than $11 billion in the same period a year earlier.
Exports declined a bare 0.1 percent to $18.64 billion, while imports plunged 41 percent to $17.84 billion.
Gold re-export contributed the bulk of the surplus. Re-exporting gold was a necessary move to draw out private gold hoards, improve the trade balance, boost foreign currency reserves, and maintain the dong’s value.
The consumer price index fell for the first time in last year’s fourth quarter but rose slightly in the last four months, allaying fears of both inflation and deflation.
By Ngoc Minh
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