Ugo Nosiri, Owerri
The Director General National Biotechnology Research Development Agency, Professor Abdullahi Mustaph says that the Federal Government is intensifying efforts to increase the accessibility of genetically modified organisms.
Professor Abdullahi Mustaph who stated this in Owerri at a one day agricultural biotechnology workshop organised for early careers and young farmers in Imo State, said that the programme was to encourage the youths to embark on research that would help find solutions to poor agricultural yield, environmental degradation and pollution.
He noted that scientists in the country had started producing organisms and supplying the same to farmers to improve their yield and urged the farmers to embrace biotechnology to ensure food security and tackle the challenges posed by climate change.
“We have people that are highly demanding maize most especially in the poultry farming and you see how egg and chicken are very very expensive so by having higher availability of maize and then the quality of maize that is very strong, the chicken and egg and all these associated feed that you use corn to produce are going to come down. We are telling people that they should embrace technology, it is very very safe and there is no cause for alarm,” he said.
Professor Mustapha explained that genetically modified organisms were healthy to both humans and the environment noting that the innovation has given rise to the production of maize, cowpeas and cottons that are insect-resistant and high yield.
The Governor of Imo State, Senator Hope Uzodimma, represented by the Director General Imo State Investment Promotion Agency, Professor Jude Nzeako, described biotechnology as a revolution in agriculture that would boost production and gave an assurance that his administration would empower the youths that had shown interest in biotechnology to improve the living standard of the people.
Governor Uzodimma noted that there would be new crops, new biotechnology products that can lead to food security in the state, in the next six months to one year.
“You have modified foods that the international community is exporting to us so there is nothing wrong now for us to begin to modify products to take care of diseases that are inherent in the system,” Uzodimma said.
The workshop which was attended by both young farmers and students of biotechnology in tertiary institutions in the state had its theme as “Cultivating Tomorrow’s Agricultural Innovators: Inaugural Workshop for the Agricultural Biotechnology Young Vanguard.”
