NAIROBI, June 10 (Xinhua) -- Experts on Tuesday met in the Kenyan lakeside town of Naivasha to promote the adoption of biotechnology to boost food security.
The 13th Annual Biosafety Conference, which runs for three days, was organized by the state-owned National Biosafety Authority, bringing together senior government officials as well as biotechnology stakeholders.
Mutahi Kagwe, cabinet secretary in the Ministry of Agriculture and Livestock Development, said that Kenya is committed to facilitating the adoption of new technologies and innovations to transform low agricultural productivity in the country.
"The conference represents a crucial moment for Kenya and the region as it works to harness the power of science to secure food systems, improve agricultural productivity, and protect our environment," Kagwe said in a statement read on his behalf by Rashid Khator, secretary of administration at the Ministry of Agriculture and Livestock Development.
Kagwe said that the conference presents the perfect platform and opportunity to explore the potential for the application of agricultural biotechnology as a tool for socio-economic transformation as well as building resilience to the effects of climate change.
Nehemiah Ngetich, acting chief executive officer at the National Biosafety Authority, said the conference is being hosted against the backdrop of a number of events within the modern biotechnology development and biosafety regulatory spheres in Kenya.
Ngetich said that Kenya has so far approved several genetically modified organism crops, such as Bt cotton, which was commercialized in 2020, while Bt maize and virus-resistant cassava have been approved for environmental release and are currently undergoing national performance trials in various parts of the country. Enditem
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