Uganda and China sign agreement to increase food production in Africa.
- Farmers to make multiple harvests from the same planting and will increase procuctivity and ensure sustanable food security.
Image: Moses Kidandi
Uganda through National Agricultural Research Organization and china through BGI have signed a coperation agreement to establish the uganda China regional perennial rice center site and a regional center on production of livestock,crops and fisheries.
The center to be established at the National crops resources research institute Namulonge will focus on the growth of perenial rice which will enable farmers to make multiple harvests from the same planting and will increase procuctivity and ensure sustanable food security.
NARO has established capcity and breeding reselient crops to ensure that farmers are secure in ensuring food production.
The new initiative presents Uganda with a new trait in rice,traditionally known to be an annual crop which grows for only one season.
How ever as the Director General National Agricultural research organisation(NARO) Dr Yona Baguma explains,farmers will now make multiple harvests continually to ensure enough food supplies for trade and direct consumption.
BGI-Groups research component in China is a world-leading research center. Focusing on developing gene reading, writing and storage technologies, and leading international big data and disease prevention mega-science programs.
It has a comprehensive scientific research system covering bioinformatics, human genomics, agricultural genomics, microbiology, and marine biology.