By Ebere Agozie
Abuja – The International Service for the Acquisition of Agric-Biotech Application (ISAAA) says credible scientific evidence should inform the decision to reject or accept Genetically Modified Organisms (GMO’s).
The Programme Officer of the institute, Mrs Bibiana Kipkorir, who stated this in an interview with the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN), said many misconceptions surrounds the current public debates between regulators and other stakeholders not keen at adopting the innovation.
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“We are encouraging them as regulators to pass information that is backed by credible scientific evidence.
“So you find out that many debates and arguments that are out there in the public surrounding GMOs are covered by many misconceptions.
“So what we are really trying to do is to educate them with the adequate skills on how to communicate bio-safety issues and how to communicate risk.
“We are not really telling people that this is the technology you have to go for. But what we are saying is that here is the right information or here is the credible information. So we urge people to make decisions based on credible evidence.’’
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She stressed the need to sensitise the grassroots to the issues surrounding the GMOs so the misinformation reaching them can be debunked by empirical facts.
The Programme officer said the organisation had a strong outreach programme at the grassroots that helped in allaying the fears of women and young farmers about the use of the technology.
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“That is something we at ISAA Africentre do a lot.
‘’We actually have a strong grassroots outreach programmes and we go down to the famers, we talk to women, especially young farmers as well to allay the fear and concern surrounding the technology and might really just show them how they can benefit from the technology again from credible evidence position.
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She pointed out that GMO is highly controversial since it has to do with food, adding that people are bound to address the issue with fear and anxiety.
“So stakeholders must frame their messages when talking to the public, because they are the publics watchdogs who ensure that whatever products are coming into their countries are safe.’’
Kipkorir, said that the massages and information in addition to being scientific should address the concerns of the public.
“Human beings are always sceptical about innovations and GMO is a controversial issue, so its associated information should be addressed with caution.
“Therefore, as we ensure safety in the application of modern biotechnology and GMO, we must carry the public along.
“ So as government move ahead with its law and procedures for the deployment of the technology and the release of GMOs for any purpose, the public must be aware,’’ she said.