The National Biotechnology Development Agency, NABDA advocated the use of biotechnology to combat the challenge of food insecurity confronting Nigeria.
The Director General of NABDA, Professor Abdullahi Mustapha stated this at the maiden edition of the agency’s Annual Media Chat in Abuja Nigeria’s capital.
Professor Mustapha explained that over 32 Bioresources Development Centres across the nation are engaged in various research, aimed at ending the challenges of breeding, improvement of crop yields and seeds, as well resilience to adverse climatic conditions.
“We have revolutionised yam seedlings production. In spite of the challenges of Covid 19, the agency’s target of seven million yam seedlings has largely been successful with over two million produced and distributed to farmers”
He noted that the commercialisation of two Genetically modified pest resistant crops; Bt Cotton and Bt Cowpea, has created million of jobs.
“The value chain created by the Bt Cowpea alone has created thousands of job opportunities, in addition eight million Nigerian farmers and their families will benefit directly from cultivating the newly launched pod borer resistant Cowpea variety.”
“Similarly, the released Bt Cotton had motivated people to go back to cotton farming and it is yielding high profits. The value chain of cotton from the farmers to processors, cottage industry workers to spinning and textile industry, will indeed create job openings”.
The DG also said that the commercialisation of genetically modified maize is another thing the agency is exploring which he said will be available to farmers in less that eighteen months.
According to him, the effort of the agency to produce BT soybean will also be herbicide tolerant and comes along with a lot of value.
“From soybean, we can we can get other food items like soybean margarine, milk, and oil among others. The development on soybean oil has reached a level that it could be used as a lubricant instead of premium motor spirit: petrol.”
“Soybean oil has the ability to withstand certain level of temperature that could be used on sophisticated machines that work with higher temperature instead of petrol” Professor Mustapha assured.
The DG emphasised on the NABDA’s collaboration with other agencies and the signing of Memorandum of Understanding with state governments, universities, Private sector players and some international organizations to bridge the gap between research institutions and the industry.
“Nigeria sighed an MoU with the kingdom of Morocco for research and development in biotechnological products and processes. These processes and products include portable water and waste water treatment, disinfectants, gas treatment, reduction of sulphur dioxide, soil biodegradation, application of stem cells for dietetics and cancer related diseases among others,” he said.
To counter and correct the widespread negative perceptions of modern Biotechnology practices, Professor Mustapha, believed that the Nigerian media practitioner has the an ethical duty to objectively inform and educate the public about the benefits of biotechnology to sustainable development.
“I am optimistic that the Nigerian media has the requisite intellectual capacity, ethical prudence, and professional skill to counter fake news, disinformation, misinformation of anti-scientific luddites whose activities constitute a log on the wheel of progress.”
He adds that It is evident that without the accelerated entrenchment of the culture techno scientific innovation, Nigeria cannot optimise the spectrum of opportunities in today’s globalised knowledge based economy.
Lateefah Ibrahim
