Uganda government is upbeat on passing GM crops legislation. While launching the 2016 Global Status of Commercialized Biotech/GM Crops report, the Minister of State for Agriculture, Hon. Christopher Kibazanga, reiterated his government’s commitment to passing the National Biotechnology and Biosafety Bill. The report launch took place on July 6, 2017 at Hotel Africana, in Kampala, Uganda.

While making his remarks, Hon. Kibazanga said that it was paramount to pass the Bill into law in order to facilitate safe development and application of biotechnology in Uganda. “Together with conducive and harmonized regulations, crop biotechnology innovations can help increase food production to address the needs of the growing global population, especially those in the developing countries like Uganda,” he added.

The Minister urged Members of Parliament to speed up the process of passing the law so that farmers can access products of regulated biotechnology. “Any resistance against science in any field means that you are only telling your people to remain poor,” he said.

The ISAAA report highlights adoption trends of GM crops since their first commercialization in 1996, their global economic impact, research and commercialization progress , as well as prospects for the future of biotech crops in Africa and beyond.

The event was attended by media, scientists, and policy makers. It happened at a time when the country is grappling with a precarious food security situation due to unpredictable rain patterns and an unprecedented refugee crisis from neighboring South Sudan.