Ethiopia has approved observation field tests for genetically modified potatoes that are allegedly blight-resistant, a decision that is considered a further indication of the nation’s growing acceptance of the contentious genetic modification technique, according to Ethiopia Observer.

The Ethiopian Institute of Agricultural Research (EIAR) has been permitted to plant the potatoes in a constrained trial farming area thanks to the Ethiopian Environmental Protection Authority’s consent a few weeks ago.

Gene editing, a form of genetic manipulation that is severely prohibited in the nations of the European Union, is the focus of Ethiopia’s deregulatory intentions for GMO crops. But the International Potato Center and the United States Agency for International Development (USAID) have pushed the GM potato initiative in Africa (CIP). The Consultative Group on International Agricultural Research’s (CGIAR) research institute, known as CIP, is tasked with helping countries like Africa create GM potatoes, among other things. CIP now has membership from Ethiopia, Uganda, and Rwanda.