ICRISAT and the policy environment on biosafety in Africa
Icrisat has been using conventional breeding methods as well as modern biotechnology to solve problems constraining production of its mandate crops. Modern technology has been applied to groundnuts to incorporate resistance to the Indian peanut clump virus, an Asian disease and to the groundnut rosette disease, predominantly in Sub-Saharan Africa. Research on this is at an advanced stage and the transgenic plants are ready for field evaluations. Icrisat's guidelines regarding genetically modified crops require working in countries that have developed biosafety legislation or guidelines. Plant...