Abuja – A renowned Environmentalist, Dr Vandana Shiva, on Monday urged Nigeria and Africa to reject Genetically Modified Foods (GMOs), claiming it is fraught with health challenges.
Shiva, who spoke to newsmen in Abuja, also said available record showed that genetically engineered seeds had not increase food production in the US, where it was experimented 20 years ago.
“Absolutely, Genetically Engineered Crops has no place in Africa or anywhere in the world. It is now 20 years since they were commercialized in the United States.
“We have the results they have not increase production. The US is fallen behind Europe because of the planting of GMOs in terms of its productivity.
“In terms of health, the US has serious health crisis, in terms of epidemic of neurological diseases.
“There is all kind of allergic problems, Americans can’t eat food. Food has become the scary thing for them,’’ she said.
According to her, when you control seed you control the planet.
“If any government has a sense of democratic responsibility and a sense of sovereignty then this GMOs trap with its paraphernalia of lies should be avoided,’’ she said.
Shiva advised governments not to “not walk blindly’’ to the technology and accept GMOs, maintaining that the 20-year-old experiment in the US had failed.
She said the system do not deliver on its promises but result in pains, deprivation and deaths, adding that over 300,000 farmers, who embraced it in India, had committed suicide following loss they suffered. (NAN)