Inadequate use of Available Biotechnology Tools

Biotechnology is an integral feature of modern plant breeding research and practice but is not sufficiently well embedded in practical plant breeding and crop improvement in developing countries where inadequate infrastructure, scarce funding and lack of trained staff represent major obstacles . Furthermore, evidence from developing countries outside Africa suggests that micro-propagation and tissue culturing can be profitably applied to many crops. Countries like Thailand, India and others are producing millions of disease-free plantlets every year for a range of fruit and horticultural crops, such as banana, papaya, grape, tomato, potato and others. The potential of this technology for Africa has not been exploited due to lack of facilities and expertise. Assessment of the potential applications of biotechnology tools is essential, as is capacity building to enhance use of the available technologies, and to implement appropriate biosafety measures.