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ONE of the world's richest men has made a top-secret visit to Cairns to find out how his genetically modified crop of bananas is going.
Bill Gates and his wife, Melinda, slipped into the Far North last Saturday for a brief meeting with five scientists from the Queensland University of Technology.
The scientists, who have $10 million backing from the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation, have been developing a genetically modified banana plant at Innisfail capable of resisting a devastating disease.
Field trials at South Johnstone have produced bananas with more pro-vitamin A than regular bananas. The plant may hold hope for people in poor African nations, who are battling vitamin A deficiency and iron deficiency anaemia, which leads to death, blindness, impaired immune function and brain development.
QUT project leader ProfJames Dale said the billionaire and his wife only stayed in Cairns long enough to talk with his team at a three-hour meeting at a ??top secret?? location.
It is believed they met at the Shangri-La Hotel.
Prof Dale said it was exciting meeting the Microsoft founder and his wife.
??We were all obviously pretty pumped up before we started,?? he said. ??Having him and Melinda there, it was relaxed, it was informal, it was fabulous.??
The couple were due to visit the Department of Employment, Economic Development and Innovation?s lab at South Johnstone, flying there in their private helicopter, but inclement weather kept them indoors.
Following the success of the South Johnstone trials, GM-bananas are now being grown in a trial in Uganda.
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Source: http://www.cairns.com.au/article/2011/12/22/197515_local-news.html
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