The National Biosafety Management Agency (NBMA) has sensitised farmers and key stakeholders on the safety and benefits of Genetically Modified Organism (GMO) seeds to enhance agricultural productivity and food security.
Bello Bawa, director-general of NBMA, made this known during an engagement with farmers and traditional rulers in Minna on Saturday.
Mr Bawa, represented by Hauwa Ahmed, acting director, Biosafety Operations and Enforcement, said the agency was mandated to regulate the activities of modern biotechnology in Nigeria and ensure the safe deployment of its products.
He noted that many farmers were yet to fully understand the benefits of modern biotechnology, adding that most of the information available to them, especially on social media, was misleading and inaccurate.
According to him, contrary to claims that GMOs are harmful, scientific evidence has shown that they are safe for consumption and beneficial to human health, livestock and the environment when properly regulated.
The DG dismissed as false the fear among farmers that genetically modified seeds would displace conventional seeds or render farmlands unusable after cultivation.
He stressed that any product approved by NBMA undergoes rigorous scientific assessment to ensure safety before commercial release.
Mr Bawa said that the approval process for any GMO product takes a minimum of 13 years, beginning from laboratory research to confined field trials, multi-locational trials and eventual commercialisation.
He added that the agency conducts thorough inspections of laboratories and facilities, rather than granting approvals from the comfort of its offices, to ensure compliance with global best practices.
The NBMA boss further explained that genetically modified seeds in the market were substantially equivalent to conventional varieties in terms of allergenicity, toxicity and protein content.
He added that some biotech crops are even bio-fortified to enhance their nutritional value, thereby helping to combat malnutrition and improve food security.
Mr Bawa assured Nigerians that the agency’s decisions were guided by public interest, noting that regulators and their families also consume food from the same markets as other citizens.
In his remarks, the commissioner for tertiary education, Mohammed Auna, thanked the NBMA for enlightening farmers on issues surrounding GMOs, describing biotechnology as an innovation that had come to stay.
Also speaking, Isah Sidi-Rijau, commissioner for agriculture, said the ministry was promoting the adoption of biotechnology to boost agricultural productivity.
Mr Sidi-Rijau, represented by Maikasuwa Garba, director of Agricultural Services and Linkages, said the state government was supporting the production of bio-fortified crops to increase yields, improve nutrition and reduce malnutrition.
(NAN)
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