September 24 – 30 has been proclaimed as Biotech Week in the province of Saskatchewan.
Agriculture Minister David Marit, who made the announcement earlier this week, says the purpose of the week is to the benefits of biotechnology and to raise awareness of the important and growing role biotechnology plays in agriculture and the life sciences.
“Biotechnology is truly a Saskatchewan success story – it has allowed us to create very specialized crops and to develop new industrial uses for those crops,” Marit said in a receant media release. “GM canola has reduced tillage and simplified weed control, saving producers money and fuel. As the home of roughly one-third of Canada’s agricultural biotechnology sector, Saskatchewan is a biotech leader.”
National and global biotech weeks also exist on September 24-30, and now Saskatchewan is joining the observance. In strong support for agricultural innovation, the Ministry of Agriculture has committed $31.8 million to agriculture research for the 2018-19 fiscal year.
“Biotechnology is a crucial tool in the development of hardier crops, nutritious foods and vaccines. With climate change and the environment a major concern today, the public should also appreciate that biotechnology helps to reduce greenhouse gas emissions, as well as the amount of land needed to produce our food.” Ag-West Bio President and CEO Wilf Keller added that Biotech week also serves to combat the plethora of misinformation available through social media and the internet.
For the latest information and for more updates on everything Kindersley ‘Like’ the Kindersley Social Facebook page below…
