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WHY NIGERIA'S PRESIDENT MUST SIGN BIOSAFETY BILL INTO LAW

Food production will soon take an upward swing following the passage of the National Bio-safety Bill, Director-General, National Biotechnology Technology Development Agency, Prof. Bamidele Solomon, has said.

 Solomon, who spoke at the celebration of African Agricultural Technology Foundation in Abuja, said President Goodluck Jonathan would soon sign the bill into law to ensure food security in the country.

 

President GE Jonathan

According to him, the new law will usher in a new era in the deployment of biotechnology to boost food production, ensure food security and reduce the high incidence of food importation.

 He said, “Having a law will ensure the safe use of modern biotechnology while protecting human health, the environment and national biodiversity.

“It will also facilitate risk assessment exercises, monitoring and enforcement measures relevant to import, export, trans-boundary movement of the products of modern biotechnology, laboratory and field testing/use of modern biotechnology including handling, containment disposal, control, monitoring and release of biotech products.

“Therefore, biotechnology research will be given the opportunity to thrive as soon as the bio-safety framework is in place. It will soon be signed into law.”

The NABDA boss lauded the activities of AATF in Nigeria, especially for attracting biotechnology projects into the country and for supporting the process of the passage of the Bio-safety Bill.

 Executive Secretary of the Agricultural Research Council of Nigeria, Prof. Baba Abubakar, said biotechnology held the key to sufficient food production in the country and the African region.

 He said, “AATF chose the most expedient way to agricultural development in Africa by embracing and investing in proprietary technology acquisition, development, adaptation and adoption for use by the resource-poor farmers of Africa.

“African farmers have over the years faced many challenges in their attempts to increase productivity; pre- and post-harvest crop losses due to pests, diseases, weeds and droughts have resulted in low yields, as well as risks and fluctuations in incomes and food availability.

“Improved agricultural technologies were the key to agricultural development in many of the worlds developed economies of today and remain the key to development of the agricultural sectors in Africa.”

Minister of State for Agriculture, Alhaji Bukar Borno, said the projects embarked on by AATF in collaboration with NABDA would not only ensure food security but also ensure appropriate technologies.

 He added that one of the projects would ensure that Nigeria was self-sufficient in the production of rice as well as boost the nation’s revenue.

ADAPTED FROM THE PUNCH 14/JULY 2013