Mozambique’s Agricultural Research Institute (IIAM) will soon be submitting to the National Biosafety Authority (ANB) for evaluation the results of its research into the potential of genetically modified maize seed varieties, which could be suggested as an option for cultivation at national level.
These are drought-tolerant and pest-resistant varieties, seen as alternatives for solving productivity problems, particularly for the family sector.
According to Egas Nhamusso, a researcher at the Chókwè Agricultural Research Institute, quoted on Tuesday 5 December by the newspaper Noticias, the results of the trials carried out are encouraging.
“The plants have shown themselves to be tolerant of a lack of water and resistant to attacks by the maize funnel caterpillar, which is considered to be the most dangerous for producers,” he said.
The use of transgenic seeds has been at the centre of several debates, with some currents linked to the agricultural sector in particular advising against their use, due to the alleged problems they can cause for human health.
