Agric & Biotech

Representatives of farmers, consumers, civil society organisations, scientists, youth and women groups on Monday, December 17, 2018 denounced the admission into Nigeria of genetically modified (GM) crops and products. The anti-GMO public rally in Abuja The condemnation was made at a public rally in Abuja, where the campaigners claimed that the products pose a threat to the nation’s food system, ...

The African Agricultural Technology Foundations (AATF) on Sunday, December 16, 2018 expressed displeasure over lack of knowledge of Genetically Modified Organism (GMO) among the African farmers. GMOs The Foundation’s Regional Director, Dr Issouhou Abdurhamane, made the submission when he led a team to a News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) forum to sensitise Nigerians on Genetically Modified Organism (GMO). GMO is ...

The Common Market for Eastern and Southern Africa (COMESA) plans to launch seed labels for easier trade within the 21-member countries, an official has disclosed. John Mukuka John Mukuka, the COMESA Regional Seed ProgrammeCoordinator, said that 4.5 million seed labels and 2,500 certificates have beenprinted and ready for issuance to seed companies in the region. “The labels that will be ...

A not-for-profit outfit, The Rural Environmental Empowerment (TREE) Initiative, has signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with the Forestry Research Institute of Nigeria (FRIN) on the conservation of the forest. The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that the MoU was signed at the institution by Dr. Shola Adepoju, the FRIN Director-General, and the TREE Initiative founders. Dr Oladapo Akinyemi, ...

An Agriculture and seeds company, Agritropic Ltd., says it provides local farmers seeds that are suitable for Nigerian climate and soil. Mrs Nonye Igbo, spokesperson for the company, made this known in an interview with the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) in Lagos on Friday, December 14, 2018. Igbo said: “Getting the right crop or vegetable seed that suits both ...

The Food and Agricultural Organisation (FAO) has urged member countries to adopt innovations and encourage collaborative efforts at achieving sustainable agriculture and food security globally. The organisation’s Director-General, Mr José da Silva, made the call in his address on Friday, December 14, 2018 at the end of the council’s week-long meeting held in Rome, Italy. He said that no country ...

The UN Food and Agriculture Organisation (FAO) has predicted that Africa will need a whopping $7 billion for its rice imports annually by 2020. Abebe Haile-Gabriel, Officer-In-Charge of the FAO Regional Office for Africa, said this in his message on Monday, December 10, 2018 at the opening of the two-day conference on Sustainable Rice Systems in Sub-Saharan Africa, in Ada ...

The Rice Farmers Association of Nigeria (RIFAN) has appealed to the Federal Government to grant farmers affected by recent flooding fresh loans to enable them to engage in dry season farming. The National President of RIFAN, Alhaji Aminu Goroyo, told newsmen in Abuja on Monday, December 10, 2018 that this would also enable the farmers to service their loans. Goroyo, ...

British pro-GMO activist, Mark Lynas, appears to have angered African farmers over what looks like a misuse of their images on the internet to promote his agenda. The farmers have demanded that Lynas remove their images and names from all online platforms. These developments are documented in a new report by Dr Eugenio Tisselli, an IT specialist, and his co-author, biosafety scientist and ...

Consumer groups in Zambia on Friday, December 7, 2018 took a swipe at a state-run institution that regulates Genetically Modified Organisms (GMOs) for allowing the importation of GMO foods. Genetically modified foods, also known as genetically engineered foods, or bioengineered foods are foods produced from organisms that have had changes introduced into their DNA, using the methods of genetic engineering. ...