The GM cotton is being grown by Nisela Farms much against the advice of PELUM Swaziland, which advocated for GM cotton not to be grown in the country.
For trial purposes, it has been planted on 100 hectares land.
Linda Msibi, the Nisela Sugar General Manager, said if they yielded the expected results, they might eventually plant about 800 hectares.
“It is still too early to tell whether we will yield the desired results but we will be happy to get about four tons per hectare as that would maximise our chances of making profits,” he said.
He said the trial was in response to the drought that had affected the country for about three years, adding that as farmers, they are to broaden their scope as sugarcane and maize were no longer viable in their region due to severe water scarcity.
Swaziland Cotton Board Technical Manager Joconiah Msibi said they paid weekly visits to the farm for inspections because their role was to ensure that farmers followed proper procedures in growing the crop.
“We conducted a survey and found that there was no danger experienced by other countries that grew the same cotton, for example South Africa has been using this technology for around 22 years now without any problems,” he said.