An international team of scientists has envisioned the possibility of producing a genetically modified banana packed with nutrients, including vitamin A, known as the "Super Banana".
Many poor countries in Africa and Southeast Asia suffer from severe vitamin A deficiency, which slows children's growth, causes blindness, and impairs resistance to treatable deadly diseases such as diarrhea and measles.
The World Health Organization estimates that 190 million preschool children worldwide are vitamin A deficient and malnutrition is responsible for 6% of all infant deaths in Africa alone.
A team of researchers from the African nation's National Agricultural Research Laboratory, in collaboration with Australian agronomist James Dale and the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, reported the possibility of modified banana production. genes contain all the nutrients needed to fight malnutrition.
This is the first time that bananas have been successfully modified to serve as a dietary supplement for humans. Uganda is one of many African countries struggling with malnutrition, but it can also be a source of medicine due to its high production of bananas.
Super Banana is ready to grow, but scientists are still waiting for approval. Unfortunately, this can be a major setback due to strong opposition to the cultivation of genetically modified foods in Uganda.
