(3 minutes read)
- An Indian based company JK Agri Genetics Ltd. is negotiating to bring its patent and multiply Genetically Modified Organism (GMO) seeds in Ethiopia
- This will help Ethiopia to bypass the foreign currency shortage that forced halt the import of Bt Cotton seeds.
- An agreement towards this is almost reached. The Indian company will bring the Bt cotton technology to Ethiopia in a few months’ time
An Indian based company JK Agri Genetics Ltd. is negotiating to bring its patent and multiply Genetically Modified Organism (GMO) seeds in Ethiopia. This will help Ethiopia to bypass the foreign currency shortage that forced halt the import of Bt Cotton seeds.
An agreement towards this is almost reached. The Indian company will bring the Bt cotton technology to Ethiopia in a few months’ time. The Bt cotton seeds will be used for the next cultivation season. The Indian company is set to establish a sister company in Ethiopia to multiply the seeds on its own farm in Ethiopia and supply the seeds to Ethiopian commercial farmers.
Bt cotton is a GMO variety that Ethiopia has commercialized after it was tested in confined areas and was authorized by the Ethiopian Environment, Forest and Climate Protection Commission. The Indian company had supplied the seeds for commercial cotton farmers in Gambella two years ago. The farmers bought a kilogram of Bt cotton seed for US$ 28, excluding its accessories. However, the importation of seeds stopped since the farmers nor the Ethiopian government could come up with the large amount of foreign currency required to import the seeds.
Meanwhile, Ethiopia relaxed its strict biodiversity laws five years ago with exception on consumable items. The indigenous cotton varieties in Ethiopia, which have served for three decades, failed to yield high productivity. Bt cotton was picked after it was proven to be able to resist ball warm.
