Makwaia Wakuhenga - opinion

Tanzania is poised for a scientific revolution to defeat one of its worst weather vagaries - drought – if tests to fertilise maize seeds biotechnologically prove successful.

A scientific conference which I followed in Johannesburg last week organised by the 'Water Efficient Maize for Africa' (WEMA) regional project revealed a rising enthusiasm by East and Southern African states to make this agricultural revolution which may mean sustained growth of Africa's staple food, maize.

Tanzanian officials interviewed by me for my weekly TV Show broadcast weekly on Channel Ten on the sidelines of the scientific regional conference were upbeat that this novel scientific breakthrough which had succeeded elsewhere in North America and other parts of the world will mean a real liberation for Tanzanian peasants and indeed the population as a whole because "ugali" - Tanzanian staple food - will be available sustainably all the year round.

According to Dr Alois Kullaya, a principal agricultural officer with the Tanzanian Ministry of Agriculture and country coordinator for the drought tolerant maize production project in Tanzania, already mock tests have been carried out at Makutupora in the arid Dodoma region in readiness for an imminent biotechnology test to develop drought resistant maize seeds.

"In doing the mock test we wanted to ascertain if there would be any harm to the environment in the event a biotechnological test was embarked upon. That was last year on October 3," said Dr Kullaya.

Dr Kullaya asserted to me that the tests at Makutupora have revealed that there would no consequential harm to the environment in the event a biotechnology breeding of maize production is carried out in the country.

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