Agency endorses guidelines on Genetically Modified food, feed

The National Biosafety Management Agency (NBMA) has approved national guidelines on genetically modified (GM) food and feed to give people confidence in the products.

NBMA chief executive Dr Rufus Ebegba at a stakeholder review and validation meeting on GM food and feed in Abuja on Friday said the agency wanted to adhere to best practices international.

Ebegba said the guidelines would be subject to extensive stakeholder review, adding that they had been the subject of various review sessions.

“We are going to give it a final look and validate it so that the stakeholders can accept it, take ownership of it and make it a national document.

“Food issues are very critical. The health of a nation is sometimes determined by its food and its environment.

“Genetically modified foods are products that have received special attention to be healthy foods that do not contain toxins and allergies,” he said.

The Director-General further assured the public about food safety, saying that genetically modified products are highly scrutinized, subjected to numerous evaluations and evaluations to ensure the result is safe.

Dr Rose Gidado, deputy director of the National Biotechnology Development Agency, also said the guidelines would help improve native crops because the country has too many underutilized crops.

According to Gidado, we will look at the crops, see what kind of challenges farmers face with some of them, and use technology to alleviate the challenges and needs of farmers.

She said the technology could be used to tackle challenges such as drought, flooding and insects.

“We will use technology to our advantage by making country food sufficient to increase our productivity because it is very low.

“There is no way to be successful in agriculture without technology. Technology is critical, it is a matter of urgency.

“The technology has reduced production and the end product will be affordable to the public,” she added.

Meanwhile, Mr Frank Tietie, Executive Director of Citizens Advocacy for Social and Economic Rights, said that genetically modified organisms (GMOs) are a progressive scientific development that Nigeria has adhered to for over a decade.

Tietie said technology can ensure food safety and food security and called on Nigerians to celebrate the application of biotechnology in food production. (NOPE)

(NAN)