Genetically modified cotton in Uganda: An ex ante evaluation

The Ugandan government has recognized the need to increase the per¬formance of cotton and the potential of crop biotechnologies, particu¬larly the role of genetically modified (GM) varieties to improve cotton production and thus the economy in general. In 2008, the National Biosafety Committee of Uganda approved the guidelines for implementing con¬fined trials, which enabled testing the environmental safety and performance of insect-resistant (Bt) and herbicide-tolerant (HT) cotton varieties. The implementation of the confined trials started in May 2009.