By Peter Ssebulime
Kampala: Civil Society Organisations (CSOs) have urged Ugandans to shun Genetically Modified Organs(GMOs) to ensure preservation and promotion of food sovereignty and agro-biodiversity conservation in Uganda.
This revelation was made by Joshua Aijuka, the programme manager Sustainable Farming Systems from Pelum Uganda.
Aijuka said thta “GMOs have totally destroyed the value and existence of local foods with their associated problems like diseases such as cancer among others.”
He added that “There are many agricultural pesticides, manures/fertilizers which are harmful to human beings. We thus appeal to the general public to always use local Vvarieties.”
The call comes a head of 9th annual Indigenous and Traditional Food Fair which is to be held on October 25, 2019, in Kampala, spearheaded by Pelum Uganda in partnership with various organizations like Food And Agriculture Organization (FAO), among others during whichvarieties of local foods will be exhibited.
“The theme for this year’s food fair is; ‘Fostering Agricultural Biodiversity for Health Diets,’ which is in support of the Sustainable Development Goal (SDG) to end hunger, achieve food security and improved nutrition and promote sustainable agriculture, plus targeting the maintenance of genetic diversity seeds and plants,” Aijuka noted.
It should be noted that President Yoweri Museveni a few months back rejected signing the GMO bill into law, something that did not go down well with several western powers that were pumping millions of dollars into the project, especially the United States of America.
