ABUJA – The National Biotechnology Development Agency (NABDA) said on Tuesday in Abuja that it would work with Nigerian farmers to ensure that appropriate scientific technology is applied to boost farm production in the country.
Mr Babatunde Iletoogun, the spokesman of the agency, said this in an interview with the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN).
He said the agency was ready to enlighten farmers on any area they needed assistance, “mostly in securing loan and on how to improve their farm products using latest technologies’’.
Iletoogun told NAN that the application of appropriate scientific methods by farmers and the usage of improved seedlings would improve food security in the country.
He said that genetically modified (GM) foods would boost agricultural productivity by assisting in the development of new crops and in combating insects that destroy plants and animals. [eap_ad_2] Iletoogun said that technology-based agriculture is the future of agriculture in West Africa, especially in Nigeria.
“We need to improve our productivity to ensure food security because food insecurity and concerns over livelihood and resources are behind many of the conflicts we are having in the country.
“Without technological inputs and biotechnology, there is no way we can achieve food security in West Africa.
“We are encouraging small scale farmers and industrial farmers to seek loans from the appropriate government banks to get money for farming and to reduce food insecurity in the country,’’ Iletoogun said.
According to him, biotechnology guarantees food security and allows us to develop new crops, new types of animals as well as prevent infectious insects in our environment
Iletoogun said that by 2015, agriculture could become an engine of economic growth in Nigeria if biotechnology systems are applied.
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