Botswana Must Fund Hoodia Research

 

Recent advertisements running in government media indicate that the world still reckons that Botswana is better placed to supply big pharmaceutical companies with the much sought-after hunger suppressing plant, Hoodia.

These adverts indicate that companies are looking for investors who can do Hoodia farming and supply the plant overseas. Hoodia is seen in the world as the best thing for millions of obese people. They hope to use the Hoodia pills to suppress hunger and lose weight. The advertisements that have been running for weeks are not the first signs the potential benefits the country stands to gain from exploiting the opportunities offered by the plant. A few years ago, another American company got in touch with Batswana and asked them to supply Hoodia at lucrative prices. There are strong indications that Botswana could reap a lot from Hoodia export business. Although Botswana is a desert, it has been observed that the country's climate is conducive to Hoodia growth and farming. Local botanists have observed that the plant is susceptible to moisture and there are already fears that with recent outpours, the plant could be wiped out for good. We cannot afford to fold our hands and watch the Hoodia plant become extinct. Government ought to invest on research to find out how Hoodia farming and export can flourish here. The research needs to be sped up to give Batswana the opportunity to invest in the business. Botanists say Botswana is blessed with two types of Hoodia - one of which is resistant to water. Unfortunately, this type of Hoodia has not been found to possess the qualities of the other type - Hoodia Gordonii. However ,no research has been done to confirm this. Research also need to be done to identify whether it is feasible to graft the Hoodia Gordonii on the other water resistant varieties. The success of both research and implementation and the findings will help diversify the Botswana economy. Reference AspiringGeek.com     If you are clueless on how to shop for real hoodia gordonii, read my checklist.