By Ebere Agozie
Abuja – Mrs Edel-Quinn Agbaegbu, the Secretary, National Biotechnology and Biosafety Consortium (NBBC), has called on Nigerians to embrace the use of agricultural biotechnology to transform agriculture and enhance food security.
Agbaegbu said in an interview with the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) in Abuja on Wednesday that application of modern biotechnology in agriculture was central to food security.
She said with Nigeria’s population of over 180 million, the country needed more food to feed its citizens.
“Food, like shelter and clothing, is important as one of the three most essential ingredients of life.
“The UN Food and Agriculture Programme recently stated that global production of food, feed and fibre will need to double approximately by 2050 to meet the demands of a growing global population,’’ she said.
According to her, Nigeria is among countries of the world where the percentage of the population suffering from malnutrition, hunger and starvation is still high.
The NBBC scribe stressed that science, modern agriculture and crop farming through biotechnology held the key to dealing with the challenges in food security.
She said that advances in science had resulted in accelerated development, including the application of biotechnology in agriculture, to improve overall livelihood, productivity and food security.
‘’The promises of biotech crops can only be unlocked if farmers are able to buy and plant these crops, following a scientific approach to regulatory reviews and approvals.
“Advances are also being realised in many African countries. In 2016, South Africa and Sudan increased the planting of biotech maize, soybean and cotton to 2.66 million hectares from 2.29 million hectares in 2015.
“In 2016, Brazil increased biotech area of maize, soybean, cotton and canola by a remarkable 11 per cent maintaining its ranking as the second largest producer of biotech crops after the U.S.
“Brazil’s biotech soybeans account for 32.7 million hectares of the 91.4 million hectares grown worldwide.
“And also in the same 2016, 26 countries, including 19 developing and seven industrial countries, grew biotech crops,’’ she said.
Agbaegbu said there were challenges in Nigeria and Africa, including the degradation of land and water resources.
“There are other myriads of critical global changes that also affect the continent, especially Nigeria, where key crops being cultivated for consumption and commerce are still facing attack of diseases.
“For instance, Cassava Mosaic Disease (CMD) and Cassava Brown Streak (CBSD) for instance, are still the most challenging constraints for cassava production in Sub-Saharan Africa.’’
She said that biotechnology, which is Genetic Modification, would address pest and disease challenges as well as the vagaries of weather and other challenges in growing crops.
Agbaegbu said that the new generation of biotech crops, manifested by the increasing use of stacked traits, did not only address farmers’ concerns but also consumers’ preference and nutritional needs.
“The use of improved varieties is expected to contribute to improved health, environment and income as well as drastically reduce the need for frequent spraying with insecticide,’’ she said.
Agbaegbu said that Nigeria should remain alive to the fact that for agric-biotechnology to be fully accepted; those who played roles in shaping public opinion must be equipped with adequate knowledge and communication skills.
“Today’s global development and sustainability are based on science.
“Fortunately, GM crops so far produced and globally commercialised are for herbicide-tolerance, insect, disease and drought-resistance, including bio-fortification.
“There is no doubt that advancement in any technology also goes with some potential adverse impacts and modern biotechnology is not an exception in this regard,’’ she said.
Agbaegbu stressed that scientific, technological and innovation advancements were crucial for industrialisation and socio-economic development in Nigeria and Africa.