Page 9 - 19 Cotton SA September 2019

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SWAZILAND (ESWATINI)
FINDS SUCCESS WITH
GMO COTTON
Cotton has a long history in
eSwatini, serving as a source of
livelihood to over 50 000 Emaswati.
However, drought and a drop in the
price of cotton crippled the industry
and the kingdom started looking for
other options suitable for the unique Foto 1
nature of its environment, which
is prone to drought in the regions J
where cotton farmers reside.
Taking a cue from farmers in
neighbouring South Africa, who
had been planting and enjoying
the benefits of GMO cotton since
1998, eSwatini moved to adopt
regulations that would allow it to
apply biotechnology and its first Bt- Foto 2
cotton in 2018.
In just the first season since J
GMO cotton was introduced, cotton
production has doubled by only
planting an additional 250 ha of
cotton under irrigation. It has also
improved the farmers’ profit margin
as over 10 insecticide sprays per
season have been eliminated with
the added benefit of improved
yields.
Foto 3

KATOEN KAN HOUE VAT
MET HAEL
Tydens ’n swaar haelstorm op 5 Januarie 2019 het
Frederik Coetzer van Pongola groot skade op ’n
katoenland gehad (sien Foto 1). Die katoen het op
daardie stadium sowat 30 cm hoog gestaan. Hy het
egter soveel as moontlik blaarvoeding toegedien en
die katoen het in ses weke baie goed herstel (sien
Foto 2 wat op 18 Februarie 2019 geneem is).
Frederik het daarna voortgegaan om die normale
produksieroetine te volg. Foto 3 wat op 12 Julie 2019
geneem is, toon dat ’n bogemiddelde oes op hande
is. Hierdie haelskade-voorval is ongetwyfeld ’n bewys
van katoen se uitsonderlike herstelvermoë, nadat
die plante tot op die grond beskadig was. – Tertius
Schoeman, Katoen SA

Volume 21 No 3 September 2019 | 9