NCST  participated in a Bt Stakeholders field day meeting at Chitala Agricultural Research Station, in Salima on 29^th May 2014.

The meeting was organized by Monsanto in collaboration with LUARNAR and Department of Agricultural Research Services (DARS).

The objectives of the meeting were to:

• Update stakeholders on progress of Bt cotton confined field trials;
• Provide an opportunity for stakeholders to see the performance of Bt cotton compared to conventional cotton; and
• Provide a forum for sharing biotech information between scientists and stakeholders.

Stakeholders invited to the meeting were EAD, DARS, NCST, PBS, Monsanto (South Africa), Monsanto (Kenya), Electronic and Print media, Salima District Assembly, Traditional Chiefs, Community Leaders and Farmers and Religious Organizations. The workshop started with a series of presentations made by representatives of Monsanto, Bunda College and DARS. This was followed by a visit to the trial site where experts from Bunda College explained the aim of the research and performance of Bt cotton compared to conventional cotton.

The observations clearly indicated that:

• Bt cotton was doing very well and the bolls had started opening;
• Bt cotton had more bolls per plant than conventional cotton;
• Conventional cotton had lost more bolls due to insect infestation; and
• More bolls were open in Bt cotton experimental plots than in conventional plots.