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Chinyere Anyanwu
The need to ensure food sufficiency and security in the country’s post-COVID-19 period through the deployment of agricultural biotechnology took the front burner during a recent webinar held by the Nigerian chapter of the Open Forum on Agricultural Biotechnology (OFAB).
Stakeholders at the meeting organised in conjunction with the National Biotechnology Development Agency (NABDA) were in agreement that for Nigeria to adequately feed its growing population, tackle feared post-COVID-19 food challenge, as well as achieve the WHO Sustainable Development Goal (SDG) of zero hunger by 2030, it must up its game in food production through science technology-based methods.
Speaking during the meeting, the NABDA Deputy Director/Country Coordinator, OFAB Nigeria, Dr. Rose Gidado, noted that agriculture biotechnology, which has transformed farming into a profitable business in most developed countries of the world, holds the solution to Nigeria’s food security. Gidado stressed the need to adopt the technology to the nation’s agriculture to “improve our productivity and revive our industries. Let us sensitise people on the potential of this innovation to aid decision-making and adoption in Nigeria.”
She noted that with “a population of over 200 million people and projected population of 400 million people by 2050, coupled with COVID-19 pandemic effect, Nigeria is faced with the risk of decreased farming population due to age; decreased arable land; poverty, malnutrition and hunger because the conventional method of agriculture can no longer meet up with our demand,” adding that agricultural biotechnology holds the solution to food security. In his presentation on “Upscaling Agricultural Production to Avert Hunger in Nigeria after the COVID-19 Pandemic: The Role of Good Science and Technology”, the National President of All Farmers Association of Nigeria (AFAN), Kabir Ibrahim, noted the importance of exploring the option of using innovation to upscale food production in order to ensure food sufficiency to avert hunger arising from the ravages of the COVID-19 pandemic.
Dousing the fears of Nigerian consumers on the safety of genetically engineered foods, Sylvester Oikeh, a maize scientist and Project Manager of Tela Maize, said foods that have passed regulatory scrutiny and have been approved are considered safe to eat, adding that, “biotechnology remains a strong investment for farmers. Globally, for each dollar invested in biotech crop seeds, farmers gained an average $3.49.”
Earlier in his remarks, the NABDA Acting Director General, Prof. Alex Akpa, noted that, “the COVID-19 pandemic has placed on us a lot of restrictions and as scientists, we must strive to find solution to challenges facing mankind.” He emphasised the importance of biotechnology as a powerful tool that has the potential of helping the country address critical situations including disease outbreaks, hunger, drought and malnutrition.
Prof. Akpa appealed for, “increased allocation to research and development in the country, especially in the biotechnology sub-sector. This will ensure that we take advantage of the critical mass of graduates universities are turning out every year to properly coordinate our R&D activities in such a way to answer national challenges.”
