PBR Cowpea Release In Nigeria a Milestone for Africa- AATF
By Ene Okwanihe, Abuja
The African Agricultural Technology Foundation (AATF) says Nigeria’s commercial release of the Pod Borer (Maruca Vitrata) resistant Cowpea (PBR Cowpea) variety is a milestone that Africa should be proud of.
The AATF Head of Regulatory Dr. Francis Nang’ayo gave the commendation at a stakeholder’s meeting involving regulators from Ethiopia, Mozambique and Kenya in Abuja, Nigeria’s capital.
Dr. Nang’ayo while making a presentation said regulations in Biotechnology in food shouldn’t be too stringent to a point where it holds countries back from progressing in the sector.
On the objective of the meeting Dr. Nang’ayo said they brought together partners from other country to come to Nigeria and learn from Nigeria’s successes so that they use the model in their various countries to accelerate GM technology.
“So we have assembled partners from other countries to come and benchmark on the successes and breakthroughs that have been recorded here in Nigeria so that when they go back to their respective countries in Ethiopia and Mozambique some of the lessons picked from this trip can help pivot what they are doing to the next level”
On the safety of Genetically Modified Crops he said it takes years of research and testing before it is certified safe for consumption and in the case of the PBR Cowpea it took well over fifteen years with over $0.7Billion worth of investment.
MOZAMBIQUE
The Director General of the Agricultural Research Institute of Mozambique, Dr. Olga Fafetine who represented her country, said the meeting offers them an opportunity to learn from Nigeria’s success stories in other to improve in theirs for speedy release GM crops in Mozambique.
She noted that Africa cannot continue to rely on foreign aids for food supply that are often genetically modified and yet some Africans don’t want it developed and adopted in Africa.
“Off course we are all in a hurry because we don’t have enough for our people, the farmers work hard and harvest little, we continue to rely on food donations, often the food given are products that were generated using Biotechnologies in the countries that donates, but our people still have this fear of adopting this biotechnology products”
Dr. Fafetine said her country was going back home more determined and committed in using biotechnology boost food production but they would ensure that they follow all standards and regulations required.
ETHIOPIA
For her Ethiopian counterpart, President of Biotechnology Society and Chairman Variety Release Committee of Ethiopia, Professor Firew Mekbib, biotechnology should be done on Africa’s terms and no one should detect when or how to apply biotechnology to Africans.
Professor Mekbib said Africans shouldn’t be a battling grown for GM technology and Africa should borrow leaf from African’s successes and not Europe, America or Asia.
“One thing that we know is that the battling ground for GM technology is in Africa, it’s not in Europe or Asia or Latin America, so Africa cannot be a battling ground for GM technology no one can prescribe to us what technology to adopt or reject, now we have biotechnology evidence and successes here in Africa, we don’t need to go to the US, Brazil and Argentina. Now we have very good evidence for instance in PBR Cowpea in Nigeria so no one can tell us whether Biotechnology works for Africa or not because we already have the evidence and we can attest to that”
NIGERIA
For Nigeria the host country, the meeting is an avenue to further brainstorm on needed solution to challenges being faced in biotechnology and build stronger ties on the continent; this is according to the Director General of the National Biotechnology Development Agency (NABDA) Professor Abdulahi Mustapha.
“To see that people from across the continent have come to Nigeria to witness what is happening with crops that have been investigated, have been found reliable in solving bedeviling issues across the continents, we just saw how scientist have worked hard to see the solutions on insect resistant crops, drought resistant crops which are issues that are disturbing all farmers in the continent. By coming to Nigeria, meeting the scientist, meeting with the stakeholders, I’m sure this is going to go a long way in waxing the relationship that will happen on the continent” he added
