Eight new GMO cassava varieties set for final trials

Farmers from Matangwe Farmers Field School in Bondo Siaya County work in the cassava plantation. January 4, 2015. [File Courtesy, Standard]

Eight new varieties of genetically modified (GM) cassava are ready for trials, according to the Kenya Plant Health Inspectorate Service. During the 13th Annual Biosafety Conference in Naivasha, Managing Director Theophilus Mutui said the varieties needed to undergo two more trials before they are released for use.  Already, 14 GM cotton and three maize varieties have been approved.

A Farmer from Matangwe Farmers Field School in Bondo Siaya County ploughing in the cassava plantation. January 4, 2015. [File Courtesy, Standard]

Acting National Biosafety Authority CEO Nehemiah Ngetich admitted that the public remained skeptical about GMO products due to misinformation, adding that the authority had launched a sensitisation campaign.