Golden Banana in Uganda
Reading Time: 2 minutesBY FARHAN ZULKIPLEE AUSTRALIAN SCIENTISTS have developed golden-orange-fleshed bananas rich in pro-vitamin A that could help the many children in Uganda who have a pro-vitamin A deficiency. ABC News reported that Professor James Dale, Research Director of Queensland University of Technology has been conducting research and development with other researchers on genetically modified (GM) banana […]
The movie Food Evolution comes as an eye-opener to many
Reading Time: 2 minutesBY ARUNA GANESAN & SHAMIRA SHAMSUDDIN KUALA LUMPUR: Amid the controversy over genetically modified organisms (GMO) and food, science is being kicked about like a ball between pro GMO and anti GMO camps. ‘Food Evolution’ directed by Academy Award-nominated Scott Hamilton Kennedy is a documentary on how misinformation, confusion and fear can overwhelm objective analysis […]
Brazil unleashes GM mozzies to combat diseases
Reading Time: < 1 minuteA new batch of genetically modified mosquitoes was released in Brazil to combat mosquito-borne diseases such as Dengue, Zika, and Chikungunya. The GM mosquitoes contain Wolbachia bacterium which interferes with the reproduction of new offsprings, thus eradicating the population and the spread of diseases. According to the head researcher, Luciano Moreira, the effectiveness of the […]
Kenya will soon market GM baby’s breath flowers
Reading Time: 2 minutesBY SYAHMI IEKHSAN KENYA’S baby’s breath, a widely used adornment within bridal bouquets could potentially become Kenya’s first commercially cultivated genetically modified (GM) flower. In an article by Quartz Africa titled Colouring the Future, recently an Israeli company, Imaginature had submitted an application that is currently being reviewed by the Kenyan Biosafety Authority to further […]
Golden rice finds traction in Philippines
Reading Time: 6 minutesBY MARLO ASIS After more than a decade of rigorous scientific testing and extensive research trials amid opposition by anti-GMO groups, Golden Rice is moving closer to the marketplace in the Philippines. If an application for a biosafety permit is approved, the much-awaited vitamin A-enriched rice variety may ultimately find its way onto the dining […]
Report highlights 20 years of economic and environmental benefits from using GM crops
Reading Time: 3 minutes A REPORT released by PG Economics has found that over the last 20 years, crop biotechnology has significantly reduced agriculture’s environmental impact and stimulated economic growth in the 26 countries where the technology is used. The innovative agricultural technology has contributed to preserving the earth’s natural resources while allowing farmers to grow more, high […]
Three GM potatoes approved in Canada
Reading Time: 2 minutesTHREE types of genetically modified potatoes developed by J.R. Simplot Co. to resist the pathogen that caused the Irish potato famine are safe for the environment and safe to eat, Canadian officials said recently. [ihc-hide-content ihc_mb_type=”show” ihc_mb_who=”2,3,5″ ihc_mb_template=”1″ ] The approval means the potatoes can be imported, planted and sold in Canada. The Idaho-based company […]
First GM salmon sold in Canada
Reading Time: 2 minutesGENETICALLY modified salmon has reached the dinner tables in Canada. The supermarkets in the country have become the first in the world to stock the GM fish. About five tonnes of GM salmon have been sold in the country in recent months, as reavealed by AquaBounty Technologies, the company in Maynard, Massachusetts, that developed the […]
Kenya approves trials for biotech corn, cotton
Reading Time: < 1 minuteTHE National Biosafety Authority of Kenya approved the applications for National Performance Trials (NPTs) of biotech corn and cotton, which will commence in October 2017. This was announced by NBA managing director, Willy Tonui, after a meeting with stakeholders, including Kenya Agricultural Livestock and Research Organisation (KALRO) and African Agricultural Technology Foundation (AATF) who previously […]
New cassava varieties to ease hunger
Reading Time: 2 minutesBY WAHINYA HENRY RESEARCHERS say the Virus Resistant Cassava for Africa Plus (VIRCA Plus) disease resistant and nutritionally-enhanced varieties are expected to improve the livelihoods and health status of Kenyans and in Africa. Cassava mosaic disease (CMD), first reported in Tanzania in 1994, and the cassava brown streak (CBSD) have posed major constraints in making […]