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(HERALD) ‘Embrace biotechnology to enhance agric productivity’

‘Embrace biotechnology to enhance agric productivity’
Business Reporter

ZIMBABWEANS should embrace biotechnology to enhance agricultural productivity and achieve economic development, Minister of Science and Technology Dr Olivia Muchena has said. Speaking at the National Biotechnology Authority stakeholders’ workshop in the capital, Dr Muchena said improved agricultural yields would translate into food self-sufficiency.

"We want the sector to be recognised and given immediate attention like other sectors of the economy, agriculture for example. Investment in this area is quite important. We have outstanding scientists, and natural resources that can be exploited through biotechnology to enhance agricultural yields, manufacture vaccines and produce fuel," she said.

Zimbabwe Academy of Sciences president Professor Christopher Chetsanga bemoaned the lack of significant investment into the sector, which he said could transform the country from being a raw material-based to a knowledge-based economy. He called on farmers to exploit the use of technology to improve agricultural yields and secure food security.

"The benefits of using biotechnology are that farmers can reduce pesticides, save time, labour as well as reduce costs. Countries like China are prospering through using this. The Chinese have now developed 141 crops with 65 now undergoing field trials. They are using genetically modified crops for food security and we could do the same," he said.

Loosely defined, biotechnology refers to the use of living organisms or their products to modify human health and the human environment. Prehistoric biotechnologists did this using yeast cells to raise bread dough and fer- ment alcoholic beverages, bacterial cells to make cheeses and yogurts as well as breeding productive animals to produce even stronger and more productive offspring. Zimbabwe was the first country in the region to use biotechnology when it came up with a cross-hybrid maize variety.

Labels: BIOTECHNOLOGY, THE HERALD, ZIMBABWE

posted by MrK @ 3:52 AM