Non-passage of bio-safety bill leaves Nigerian farmers poorer

As stated in a document obtained from the Nigerian chapter of the Open Forum on Agricultural Biotechnology in Africa (OFAB), biotechnology application in agriculture is important in Nigeria as it produces genetically modified foods which have a desirably better quality, it involves better production in lesser time, thereby providing food for more people. “They are […]

As stated in a document obtained from the Nigerian chapter of the Open Forum on Agricultural Biotechnology in Africa (OFAB), biotechnology application in agriculture is important in Nigeria as it produces genetically modified foods which have a desirably better quality, it involves better production in lesser time, thereby providing food for more people. “They are foods with better texture, flavour and nutritional value. They have longer shelf life for easier shipping,” the document stressed.
 Analysts have blamed the country’s lagging behind in the application of genetic engineering to help the farmers majorly on the inability of our lawmakers to pass the bio-safety bill, which was returned to the National Assembly in 2011 due to the failure of the President to sign it into law before the end of the previous legislative session.
 Our reporter gathered that despite series of sensitisation, lobbying and advocacy among others carried out by various stakeholders over the years, the bill which is at various stages in the Senate and the House of Representatives seems to be forgotten, even as the current legislative session is at its 11th hour.
 The bill seeks to regulate safe application of biotechnology in Nigeria to harness the benefits in the fields of agriculture, medicine, environment and industry, and also to protect humans, biological diversity and the environment from risks associated with genetically modified organisms (GMOs), among others.
 According to the Country Coordinator of OFAB, who is an official of the National Biotechnology Development Agency (NABDA), Mrs. Rose M. Gidado, concerted efforts to get the bio-safety bill passed again since four years ago have proved abortive.
 She told journalists at a media training organised by Mosanto at the Institute for Agricultural Research (IAR) in Zaria, Kaduna State: “We mobilised and sensitised all stakeholders on the bill; did a lot of advocacy and talked to the lawmakers concerned with the bill and others to assist in passing the bill, but till now it’s lying at the National Assembly unattended to.
 “We are not resting on our oars; we are still working hard to get it passed. Without the bill, all our agricultural biotechnology work will be in vain. We call on the National Assembly to pass the bill before they leave office in the next few months.”
 She disclosed that the African Agricultural Technology Foundation (AATF) researchers have developed genetically modified beans, cassava and sorghum, which are currently undergoing confined field trial, to help the farmers overcome various challenges. “But the crops cannot be commercialised due to the non-passage of the bill and signing it into law,” the microbiologist added.
 The genetically modified beans (Bt cowpea), she said, is resistant to an insect pest known as pod borer (Maruca), which has been depriving farmers of bumper harvests and good income for a very long time, while the bio-cassava plus (BC+) and African bio-fortified sorghum (ABS) are fortified with various nutrients to enhance nutritional efficiency.
 A researcher with the IAR Zaria, Muhammad Lawan Umar, told Daily Trust that the fears concerning safety of genetically modified foods are based on misinformation, maintaining that GM foods are safe. “All the required tests have been carried out and our pod borer resistant beans is very safe,” the scientist added.