The Acting Director-General of the National Biotechnology Development Agency (NABDA) Professor Alex Akpa has said that the agency is targeting to produce about 5 million yam seedlings for Nigerian farmers this year.
Professor Akpa disclosed this during a Webinar conference on ‘Curbing COVID-19 Pandemic in Nigeria: Analysing the role of Plant Genetic Modification in boosting immunity against infectious diseases’.
He said last year, the agency was able to produce 1 million yam seedlings which were distributed to farmers for cultivation.
“Biotechnology has other applications, in agriculture, it is massive and that is where most post-COVID-19 is coming, you find out that here in NABDA, using Biotechnology we have started impacting massively in the area of agriculture.
“For instance, in our yam multiplication program, last year, we were able to produce 1 million yam seedlings and this year, we are targeting 5 million yam seedlings, all these things are feasible because of Biotechnology”, he noted.
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Furthermore, the NABDA DG said the Agency had been involved in using biotechnology to advance health activities, especially in the era of COVID-19 pandemic.
He harped on the importance of biotechnology application for the benefits of man especially in the areas health, agriculture and environment.
“The COVID-19 pandemic has created a massive problem in the world and here in Nigeria. We all know that at this time, Biotechnology is a tool that is extremely important and useful not only to Nigeria but to the whole world.
“If you look at it in the area of health, there is no way you can do vaccines, there is no way you can do diagnostic kits without Biotechnology.
“In NABDA, we have been able to succeed with our technical partners to develop an RNA based test kits which are the first of its kind in the world, it is purely African project.
“You will find also that apart from diagnostic kits, we have been involved in vaccines which more than 100 countries are working on for COVID19 including Nigeria. We will soon start to unveil our efforts to Nigerians and to the world”, he noted.
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