Ch. Errath/FAO

Research institutes in Bangladesh will soon begin developing genetically modified crops, according to an announcement made at a workshop on agricultural biotechnology held this week in Dhaka.

Initially, four crops will be developed. These are drought- and salt-tolerant rice, potatoes that are resistant to blight, and aubergines (eggplants) and chickpeas that are resistant to insect pests called the fruit and shoot borer and the pod borer.

The research will be managed by Cornell University, United States, and will be funded by the US Agency for International Development. The studies will take place at institutes such as the Bangladesh Rice Research Institute and Bangladesh Agriculture Research Institute, where containment facilities will be created to prevent modified genes from spreading beyond the research plots.

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