Food production: Workshop participants endorse use of GMOs
News & Trends •
as the debate on the use of biotechnology for food production continues in the country opportunity must be given to scientists and scientific evidence to prove that gm foods are safe as any other food from conventional sources1 ebere agozie1 participants at the workshop held at the obafemi awolowo university oau ile ife were drawn from universities and research institutes1 dr rose gidado an assistant director national biotechnology development agencynabda via a statement issued on monday in abuja noted that the nigeria academy of science had earlier endorsed gmos1 the endorsement came a year after the countrys topmost scientific body the nigeria academy of science equally urged government to roll out the technology in all areas to ensure nigeria benefit maximally from it1 gidado who is also the countrycoordinator open forum on agriculturalbiotechnologyofab said scientists were of the view that although government action was belated it was better now than never1 gidado stressed that technology remains one of the most viable options for the country to enhance its food security strategies as well as provide healthy food for its growing population1 professors in various aspects of biosciences were of the view that government in its wisdom has set in motion all the necessary machinery needed to enable the technology take effective root in the country1 this it did by establishing the national biotechnology development agency nabda as the promoter of the technology over 15 years ago and the national biosafety management agency nbma as the regulatory in the last three years gidado said1 prof. eyitope ogunbodede the vice chancellor of oau who spoke said that government economic diversification plan to reposition agriculture as the main stay of the economy would be achieved if conventional agriculture give way to modern tools such as biotechnology1 conventional agriculture has led to food insecurity hunger malnutrition and poverty in the country1 participants at the just concluded 3rdsouth-west agro-ecological biosafety workshop have endorsed the use of genetically modified organisms gmos in the agriculture sector to boost food security in the country1 ogunbodede added that with the national biosafety policy in place the legal framework had been established for the safe and responsible application of modern biotechnology in the country1 prof. bamidele solomon of the chemical engineering department oau and chairman ife biotechnology group listed some of the challenges of food security1 the challenges include climate change persisting pest infestations declining soil nutritional quality gradual reduction in arable land use due to the pressures of urbanisation1 but modern biotechnology has been identified as an important tool that can help countries like nigeria achieve food security and food sufficiency industrial growth health improvement and environmental sustainability1 according to solomon modern biotechnology is a technique used for genetic improvements that is more efficient and precise compared to conventional breeding he said1 prof. durotoluwa oyedele dean faculty of agriculture oau said that biotechnology has the potential to increase agricultural productivity enhance food security move agriculture away from dependence on chemical inputs and reduce environmental problems1 it is important we come to the realisation that food security and agricultural productivity depend largely on domestication of biotechnology he added1 dr babatunde ogundare the deputy dean faculty of science oau said nigeria must step out of the political campaign involving gmos and focus more on scientific information backed by evidence1 we are currently faced with issues of hunger and food insecurity therefore all hands must be on deck to think of the most appropriate strategy that will make safe and healthy food available to all nigerians1 food is the only thing left for the common man it must not be contaminated and it must be free he added1