THE GUARDIAN, 29 MAY, 2011

; ., -;

Ministers, Researchers Identify Benefits Of Biotechnology, Canvass Passage Of Biosafety Bill ' From Gordi Udealah, Umuahia

STAKEHOLDERS in agricultural biotech· nology met two weeks ago at the National Root Crops Research Institute (NRCRI)

Umudike, Abia State, calling for an urgent pas· sage of the biosafety bill expected to regulate the practice of biotechnology in the country. The one-day meeting was an Open Forum On

Agricultural Biotechnology (OFAB), featuring the formal commissioning of the N14 million new Biotechnology Research Centre at the NRCRI, said to be funded by the Education

player in, and collaborator with, all releva nt institutes in the field of biotechnology. 'The target of this administration is to improve ca· pacity for the domestication of biotechnology in Nigeria by constructing add itionallabora· tories and building the capacity of personnel to conduct research into the area of genetic engineering, Director General of the National Biotech·

nology DevelopmentAgency (NABDA), Pro­fe sso r Bamidele Solomon, sa id in his add ress that, since April 2009, when the open forum started its public activiti es , a sizeable number of part icipants who regu· larly attend have acquired a

la ri sed biotechnology to such an extent that th e planning committee has been told to move th e forum" to places at the grassroots, outside Abuja, On the biosafety law, he said that interna·

tional conve ntio n requJres that any coun­try desirous of practising biotechnology must put in place a nationa l regulations. This impli es that "without a biosafety law, the res ults of confined field trials under· take n in the research

ecologies of Nigeria. According to Nwos u, NRCRI is now the first institute in Nigeria to receive approvals for the conduct of any confined fi eld trial of a, genetically·modified (GM) crop plant on the basis of the national biosafety gu ideli nes. He expressed optimism that the national biosafety law will soon be in place to enable NRCRI fully participate in agricu ltural bio technology research in ord er to reap its

Trust Fund (ETF). institutes across the country will remain on the shelves of research and will never reach com merciali sation."

benefits. ,

Minster of Agriculture and Rural Develop­ment, Professor Sheikh Ahmed Abdullah, de­scribed the event as epoch making, jointly orga.nised by the National Biotechnology De­vel?pment Agency (NABDA), African Agricul­tural Technology Foundation (AATF) and Agricultura l Research Council of Nigeria (ARCN).

better appreciation of the biotechnology concept and have exhibited a renewed hope that the int,ractable challenges par· tl cularly In the era of food production could be overco me after all, with the emer· gent technologies.

Accordi ng to him, "open fo rum on agri· cultural biotechnology (OFAB) has popu·

NRCRJ's execu tive director, Dr Kenneth Nwosu, sa id tha t, over the years, his insti· tu te has endeavoured to fulfill its natio nal mandate to cond uct research into the ge· netic Improveme nt, production, process­ing, storage, utilisation and marketi ng of root and tuber crops of economic importance which it does from six experi· mental substations located in various agro·

Science and Technology minister, Professor Mohammed Kao' je Abubakar, represented by Professor Bamidele Solomon, said that his ministry recognises the critica l role of agriculture in the economy of the country. He said that economic growth goes hand in hand with agricultural progress whil e stag· nati on could be an explanation for poor economic performance, The sess ion drew participants from millistries, ADP, farmers' groups and the academia, He sa id the forum was to facilitate the flow of

information on agricultural technology and biosafety issues between th e general public and technologydevelo~ers. "Ourgatheringt(}­gether here in NRCRI: he said, "is in recogni­tion of her distinccion in agricul tura l biotechnology as it has emerged as one of the pacesetters in the adaptation of agricul tural biotechnology with the com mis­sioning of a new Biotechnology Research Cen­rre;nneromtomaK,'-rracentfeofexcetrence":

The minister, stated that despite current ef­forts to increase food production, hunger and food irisecurity still persists, adding that this has underscored the importance of biotech­nology research, "Over the last 20 years, im­proved crops varieties have accounted for an estimated half of agricultural produc­tiviryenhancement programmes,"

Hec6ntinu ed: "we therefo re need new solu­tions to increaSing agricultural productivity to combat hunger and poverty among our people." He described agricultural biotech­nology as "a proven tool which, when com­plemented with traditional breeding and novel resource management, can increase productivity," He ' listed the benefits of biotechnology as including the reduction in excessive use of pesticides and agro inputs and thus less impact on the environment, re­duced impact of plant diseases pests, breed­ing of stress-toleran t crops that withstand vagaries of changing climate, including the enablement of diagnosis of livestock diseases and vaccines production, production of nu­merous crops with enhanced nutritional quality to improve the heal th and nutri­tional status of farmers and consumers. According to the minister, his ministry has

given full support to the passage of the Na-tional Biosafety Bill and will also be an active

Oirecto~ General of the Interna~ iona! Inst itute ~f Tro~i~a l Agric~lture (IITA), Dr. Peter Harlmann (left). Finnish Ambassador. H.E. Anneli Vuorinen , Swedish Ambassador, H.E. Per Lindgarde; and Norwegian Ambassador, H.E. KJBII Ullerud dUring a vlsl1 to the Institute in Ibadan ... on Tuesday

Nordic Ambassadors Laud I1TA's Research TIE ambassadors from Finland,

Norway, and Sweden have commended the quali ty of re­

sea rch and scientifi c professional­ism d isplayed at the International Institute of Tropical Agriculture (IITA) in fighting hunger and 'poverty in tropicaf countries,

During their visit to IITA-West Africa in Ibadan, Her Excell ency Anneli Vuorinen, Finland'sAmbas­sadorra Nigeria, sa id "the level of excell ence and kno.wledge at IITA is extraordina ry," A release from IlTAafter the visit showed that the visit and th e diplomats' observa­tion further reinforced the imper­ative for agricultural research to address the Chall enges of food in­security in tropical countries.IITA, established in 1967, was described as one of the world's leading re­search partners in find ing solu­tions to hunger, malnutrition, and poverty.

The institute's wo rk with part­ners, using the research for devel­opment (R4D) approach, as observed, enhance crop quality and productivity, reduce producer and consumer risks, and generate

wealth from agriculture. The insti­tute, since inception, has con­tributed to building the capacities of scie ntists in tropical nations, thereby helping to stabilise the na­tional research system, especia lly those in sub-Saharan Africa. "Im­proved maize varieties released by the institute today make up 60 per cent of farmers' preferred varieties in West and Central Africa. The bi­ologica l control programmes of th e institute against food crop pests saved cassava, a major staple in Africa," said Dr. Peter Hartmann, IITA s director general. Norway's Ambassador, His Excel­

lency Kje ll lillerud, said he was proud of his government's sup­port to IITA and th e pos itive out­comes that research has had on the lives of people in the tropics, "I am happy my country is support­ing IITA and 1 am impressed with the work here," he said,

Among the areas visited by the ambassadors were the institute's Genetic Resources Centre, w]lich holds in trust for the world the largest coll ection of cowpea and other crops sU,ch as soybean, cas-

sava, maize, yam, and banana, being raised for reforestation. Afri ca, "We see the va lue in the among others, The team also vis- The Swedish Ambassador, His Ex- work IITA is doing and we wi ll con­ited the Bioscience Centre and the cellency Per Lindgarde, who was tinue to give our support," he said, IITA's forest-one of the few surviv- ins trum ental In organisll1g the The visi t provided the Nordic am­ing secondary forests in th e West VISIt, sa Id hIS country appreciated bassadors and IITAAdmi nistration African region, where thousands the positive Impacts IITA's work theopportunitytoexplorea broad of indigenous tree seedlings are has had on food productIOn 111 range of development challenges,

~GM;USDA SignMoU OnAfric~n Food:Security : m" ' E AlIia!.)"e for a, (;teell R¢vQiI,ltfon, ip I\frica pess, ,USDA nilS ~ wealri1 of expenise in many critical

IAGM)andrheUnttedStateSPepa!'OnentofAgI'V ar~as pf agr1,cu,lture development, and tnis agree, , culture (USDA),on ~hursd,ay,h~s Slgp~O a MeI)1o, m~l1t wIll ~n1\lile us to share that Imowledge and. :rand.um of UnderstandIng (M.oU) to explore ways of (the) res?urce$ to benefitsm~l1holder farmers across, relpln~ smallh?lder fa, rmers 111 Africa thro, ugh coor- the , e,' ,ntlfe fo,oli -value, chain .in Africa," said Dr.,' plnared reseafoh,excb1\nges, tr-jlining<lnddevelop_ Ngongi. " " ' " - : mcmaCtlVltJ6S. " _ _ _ , .:', " , "Tl)e inter-rc1atedchallenges'of If,lobal food security " ACC,o,rdiQj\' t,oil.release from ",GM, m ,Na, !f, obI.: th, e a, re,' m, 0, r,e pre, SSi,ng now, th,' an ,ever,,;, ' said Vilsack "Agri', MoV W<JS SIgned. III WashJng;tofl by the U.S"Secretary '. cultural deve!opinel,J.t is the !<ey to unlocking in; pf Agncillll!re, 1~m VtlsacK" .nd AGM I?fes1dent, DJ;. creased incomeS and c.om bating poverty for millionS, iNa I, The MO\1, the release tndlcated, .111- o( people and JIlany nations_A\1d this partnership an',

USDt.\:jomt effotts to pWllJ'Ote seed flOUnced today,between AGRA 3nq USPAwil1 enabl~ d sollenhancern~nt;feQl)Ce crop " .us t(:tgeliver~ea! results for hUngry people around

a)lage '\Vater resources, Improve d<\ta (oJlec' the world." ': : : : , "evelO)? farmertr<!ining B~ogramn'jes, crea~e The MOU is expectei!,tO be jl1"efIectfpr five years; rna~ket J.ofolrna,tlOn.sYstems, <\.I1ihmpr<!ve human ~~" AGRAand llspN, !'he r¢lease noted) will initiallyfocus,

. d It)OMelated mfrl!stTU(tur~ InA/bea; 9fi1,qcreasmg,f!'lpd pronuctioll)n, Afiican.breadbas' ng ~"agTlculture: l~ the surest patn to hell! ons ~ areas with high potential tiecause of ex; o~e, rtY>ac~,'e,lerate Wl,d~r,,',e,' cO,nom" l¢,~n, , ~SOCi~,I " pO\ld"es, ilUr,"i\$,rru,' c,t\lF"e an~d g, roWirig

, , ' ent, boost WQmell s mlluence 'iV\thm thelf such as Ghana Kenya Mali Tanzailia and ~cje~, ;~~,~<!.~!CI~_~,~~p.t~?!!ll!lt1!~[()!_~uE!:"'C ,~P}.~~J1¥!lle..:._,:,' ._:~d.~_:...,,~~, ;:~ ~ ~", ... ,,: __ " __ ,,·".l