Activists re-echo call against signing of GMO bill

Advocates of ecological land use in Uganda have re-echoed the call to President Yoweri Museveni not to sign the Genetically Modified Organism (GMO) bill into law.

While Ugandan scientists argue it will allow them to use new plant breeding tools in their race to develop crops that can resist drought, pests and diseases, and improve nutrition, opponents claim it is a ploy by American biotech multi-nationals to control the seed system in the developing world.

Addressing the media in Kampala on Monday morning, the board chairperson PELUM Uganda, Dr. Christopher Kyeswa, said agroecologists cannot support the bill because it has a negative impact on human health, soil and environment.

Ugandan scientists have already developed a number of genetically engineered crops, including bananas, maize and potatoes just waiting for the law before they can be commercialized and grown by farmers.

Written by Prossy Kisakye