The National Biosafety Management Agency (NBMA) has assured Nigerians of the protection of their health and the environment on matters concerning genetically modified organisms (GMOs).

This submission is contained in a communiqué issued at the close of the 4th National Biosafety Conference of the NBMA held from September 12 to 13, 2018 at the Ambrose Alli University, Ekpoma, Edo State.

According to the communique, the debate around genetically modified products is “as a result of widely-circulated misleading information about purported dangers that are not supported by any scientific evidence by those whose knowledge about the technology is limited and questionable”.

“The public should therefore trust the agency’s decisions and avoid unscientific information and acts capable of causing public distrust and panic. In the event of any doubt on matters concerning biosafety, the NBMA is available for the clarification. the Agency should partner with all stakeholders in the discharged of its functions,” participants at the forum agreed.

Emphasising that the NBMA Act is in full force, companies involved in GMOs activities were encouraged to formalise their dealings with the agency “to avoid being sanctioned”.

“There is also need for government, international and national non-governmental organisations and private enterprises to strictly comply with the regulations of modern biotechnology application and its products as stipulated by NBMA as breach of the NBMA Act 2015 and other pursuant regulations has severe consequences,” noted participants at the event.

Besides ensuring appropriate labelling and effective monitoring and control in the release of GM products in the country, the NBMA was asked to establish zonal/state offices across the country to enhance its effective performance nationwide.

While recommending that the private sector should be encouraged to take the initiatives of funding research endeavours, professional bodies and the academia are to synergise with biotechnology promoters and regulators to promote research on genetically modified crops and products to enhance acceptance of the gains of modern-biotechnology in the country.

Participants further recommended that the NBMA should be made by law, a certification and accreditation body for biosafety courses and programmes in Nigeria.

“All institutions in Nigeria, both private and public dealing with and/or on modern biotechnology, are encouraged to establish an Institutional Biosafety Committee (IBC), which will be responsible to and co-operate with the NBMA. The institutions must also obtain accreditation of the institute to deal in modern biotechnology and certification of their Biosafety Containment from the NBMA,” says the communique.

The Food and Agriculture Organisation (FAO) has distributed fertilisers and seeds to 790,000 farmers to accelerate crop production.

The benefiting farmers are those displaced by Boko Haram insurgency in the northeast.

FAO, in its October Situation Report, said that the fertilisers and inputs were provided to the benefiting farmers during the 2018 cropping season.

The fact sheet indicated that 112,000 households, with a projected population of 790,000 farmers benefited from the exercise in Adamawa, Borno and Yobe states.

It said: “in northeast farmers have begun harvesting cereal, vegetable and cash crops such as cowpea, groundnut and sesame; following provision of seed and fertilisers to 112,000 households under the 2018 rainy season programme.

“The season appears to have been effective for numerous farming households, lessening the need for food assistance in some areas.”

FAO noted with satisfaction that the number of people facing acute food insecurity in the region dropped to 2.9 million (June to August 2018); as against 5.2 million (June to August 2017).

However, the fact sheet showed that the northeast region faced severe climate variability negatively affecting production system, which resulted to low yields and livestock production as well as attendant consequences on agricultural livelihoods.

The UN agency noted that due to increased influx of displaced persons and tense security situation, host communities were facing reduced access to lands and other resources needed for production.

It explained that the trend resulted to high level poverty and malnutrition in the war-ravaged region.

The document further gave a highlight of priority response by the organisation between October and December.

These included the distribution of fertilisers and seeds to 61,300 households, provision of goats, poultry kits and veterinary services to 10,589 households.

Other key interventions include distribution of micro-gardening kits to 7,500 deserving families and fuel-efficient stoves to 6,000 households, while 2,500 families would receive emergency safe kits.

According to the document, the organisation faces a funding gap of $13.9 million to facilitate implementation of its agriculture production for the 2018/2019 dry season activities, as well as all year-round livelihood support programme.

“Under the 2018 Humanitarian Response Plan (HRP), FAO is seeking for $31.5 million to assist 1.7 million people. So far, FAO has mobilised $17.6 million, which included a carry-over from 2017.

“Resource partners include the European Union Directorate for Humanitarian Aid and Civil Protection (ECHO); the governments of Belgium, Canada, France, Ireland, Kuwait, Norway, Sweden, Switzerland and USA.”

By Rabiu Sani

Rice farmers in Auyo Local Government Area of Jigawa State in Nigeria have called on the state government to take urgent action to check the menace of a rice pest, popularly known as “blast”, destroying rice farms in the area.

Chairman of the Rice Farmers Apex Association, Malam Mohammed Garba, made the call when the Country Director, Sasakawa Global 2000 (SG 2000), Prof. Sani Ahmed-Miko, visited the association in Auyo on Friday, October 26, 2018.

He said the pest and Quelea birds coming from Baturiya wetland in Guri had destroyed several rice farms in the area.

He stressed the need for both the state and federal governments to address the problem in view of their devastating effect on rice production.

“We are calling on the government to do something urgently in addressing the problem before the commencement of dry season farming activities.

“This year has been a challenging one to farmers especially rice growers in the area due to the devastation caused by flood, blast and Quelea birds.

“The pest destroys rice seed by making the pod to shrink thereby preventing it from growing fully,” he said.

In his remarks, an official of the SG 2000, Malam Idris Garko, advised the farmers to stop buying seeds from unregistered seed dealers and companies, and to use variety of seeds every year to avoid possible infection by the pest.

“If you find out that the seed is infected with the disease, change the seed next year and destroy the stock to prevent the spread of the pest,” he said.

Also speaking, Prof. Ahmed-Miko of Sasakawa Global 2000 advised the farmers to embrace new farming technologies to boost their agricultural production.

By Tukur Muntari