Nigeria: Transgenic potatoes yield up to 300% more

The transgenic potato is the result of an international public collaboration that develops late blight-resistant varieties for Bangladesh, Indonesia, Kenya and Nigeria. This potato could be the third transgenic crop, alongside genetically modified maize, that would advance to the commercial stage in Nigeria, after cotton and cowpeas. The genetically modified (GM or transgenic) potato project in Nigeria has completed its first year of multi-site confined trials in three locations and the genetically modified potatoes show a significant yield advantage over conventional varieties planted in the country. This is contained in a statement signed by the Communications Officer (West and Central Africa) of the African Agricultural Technology Foundation (AATF), Alex Abutu, which was made available to journalists on Wednesday in Kaduna. Abutu said preliminary results from the three sites, namely Kuru and Bokkos in Plateau and Kusuku in Taraba, showed that biotech potatoes had a uniform ...