Announcing the experiment of cultivating genetically modified (GM) cotton undertaken at the Kassaab Agricultural Project to be a success, Abdul-Halim Al-Mutaafi, Sudan's Minister of Agriculture, said it is planned to increase the genetically-engineered cotton acreage in Sennar, one of the 15 states of Sudan.
Around 6,000 acres of additional land would be planted with genetically modified cotton, he said.
Narrating the advantages of GM cotton, he said besides high productivity, it is also blight-resistant.
After visiting the project site to assess the state of the experiment, the Minister announced the project to be a success and invited both the public and the private sectors to help the farmers and the growers.
Further, as he vouched to solve all the problems faced by the farmers at the project, he assured to provide them with cultivation inputs, seeds, finance and also to help them in promoting the GM cotton in Sennar.
He gave an assurance that his Ministry would link up with the Agriculture Bank to ensure availability of funds required to establish Sennar as a producer of genetically-engineered seeds.
Governor of Sennar, Ahmed Abbas, said the state government which backs the experiment, is trying to provide seeds to the farmers and also to address the issue of lack of fertilizers. He called on the farmers to intensify their efforts to boost production.
Source:
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