Kenya’s first crop of GMO Bt insect-resistant cotton ready for harvest

Irungu Mwangi | Kenya News | August 27, 2021

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After waiting for nearly two decades for the commercialisation of BT cotton, there is finally some light at the end of the tunnel, as the farmers prepare for the harvest before the end of the year.

Once harvested, the cotton is expected to spur economic development by creating jobs in the dormant textile sector and free Kenyans from dependence on second-hand clothes also known as Mitumba.

Charles Waturu, the Principal Researcher on the BT cotton said the government has already trained 50,000 youths and women who are being involved in the production of the crop and consequently, establish five million square feet of industrial sheds.

“Successful implementation of this measure is expected to increase revenue from Sh 3.5 million to Sh 200 billion, create 500,000 cotton related jobs and other 100,000 from the apparel sector by 2022,’’ Waturu stated.Follow the latest news and policy debates on agricultural biotech and biomedicine? Subscribe to our newsletter.SIGN UP

Farmers in the lower Mwea have been able to produce yields, three times more than the conventional varieties and has taken shorter time of between 130 to 180 days to mature.

For the traditional variety, a farmer if lucky can harvest 250 kilograms per acre of the crop while BT cotton yields stand 7000 kilograms per acre.

Read the original postRelated article:  GM, insect-resistant, Bt corn could reach Kenyan farms in 2021 — and may help double crop yields