Farmers need scientific, technological tools to increase crop yield

The Director General of the National Biotechnology Development Agency (NABDA), Professor Abdullahi Mustapha has said that for farmers to get increased yield, they need to deploy scientific and technological tools.

Mustapha stated this on Thursday while hosting journalists at an end-of-year meeting at the NABDA’s headquarters in Abuja.

The NABDA DG said biotechnology has already shown its potential with benefits demonstrated across 30 countries and for farmers big and small.

He said the technology has produced insect-resistant crop varieties, biofortified staples packed with crucial vitamins and minerals.

Mustapha said agricultural biotechnology offers solutions for greater productivity and food access.

He said critics of this technology have fed the public with negative and untrue information about biotechnology and Genetically Modified Organisms (GMOs)

“For long, these naysayers dominated the minds of the public with unfounded narratives about modern biotechnology, choosing Genetically Modified Organisms (GMOs) as the main target.

“The voices of these naysayers reverberated even louder in Nigeria and other African countries because the scientists who embodied the true knowledge of the sciences behind GMOs and other products of modern biotechnology could not identify veritable platforms for countering the horde of misinformation, disinformation, misinformation that had been thrown into the public space,” he said.

The NABDA boss however said many years down the line, the public has been offered a fair share of scientifically proven information that has countered the wrong narratives peddled by anti-GMOs.

He said with a clear vision to make Biotechnology the engine of growth for the socio-economic development of Nigeria, NABDA has the mission of promoting biotechnology activities that positively respond to national aspirations on food security, jobs, wealth creation, affordable healthcare delivery, and sustainable environment.

He said already, there are already testimonies from farmers across the country who are benefiting from products of modern agricultural biotechnology in the country such as the Pod Borer Resistant (PBR) cowpea developed by Nigerian scientists at the Institute for Agricultural Research (IAR), Zaria which is helping farmers overcome the devastating impacts of Marcuca vitrata that causes 80% destruction on the farmers’ field.

“Today, the farmers are applying only 2 insecticide sprays as against 8 to 10 sprays previously as a result of planting the PBR cowpea. The farmers are also planting Bt. cotton, another innovative product from modern biotechnology that is changing the game in cotton farming and the hope of the textile industry’s revival on course.

“All these have been made possible through the over 14-year partnership we share with the African Agricultural Technology Foundation (AATF), Agricultural Research Council (ARCN) and Bayer Agriculture Nigeria PLC. The Open Forum on Agricultural Biotechnology (OFAB)-Nigeria Chapter, an initiative of AATF, is yet another project of importance in the area of awareness creation,” he said.

Mustapha further noted that Nigeria’s efforts at making biotechnology the fulcrum for national development have garnered international recognition and solidified Nigeria’s position as a key player in the global biotechnology landscape.

“This courtesy has also been extended to Nigerians, including the scientists, plant breeders and even the farmers who have been at the back end of the successes recorded so far with biotechnology”, he noted.

“Meanwhile, we are already thinking about the next level, which involves raising the next generation of scientists with a special interest in biotechnology through mentorship. In this regard, NABDA is working on a partnership with the National Board for Technology Incubation (NBTI) to commercialize research and development findings and harness indigenous talents.

“NABDA is also set to collaborate with AATF on research and development activities to reduce post-harvest crop losses and enhance nutrition security among Nigerians.

“The possible areas of collaboration would include training and capacity enhancement of researchers and joint research collaboration on vegetables, pearl millet and others.

“NABDA has also taken a step towards tying a collaboration with South Africa in the area of Biotechnology. Only recently, I led a delegation to the South African High Commissioner and had fruitful discussions for the advancement of biotechnology in Nigeria,” he added.

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