Tech
Dr Iziaq Salako, Minister of State for Environment, says biotechnology solutions in the country will be well grounded in scientific evidence, ethical deployment, safe application and freedom of choice.
Salako, who communicated this at the Biotechnology and Biosafety Stakeholders forum on Tuesday in Abuja, said that biotechnology had provided revolutionary breakthroughs in environmental science and agriculture.
The minister said that biotechnology helped to reduce the use of pesticides, protect biodiversity; reduce erosion and greenhouse gas emission, increase tolerance to drought, flood and improved nutrition.
“We are determined to ensure that our biotechnology solutions are well grounded in scientific evidences, ethical deployment, safe application and freedom of choice.
“Biotechnology remains an important tool to our quest to adapt to the challenges of climate change.’’
The minister said that there was also no doubt that there were widely held concerns around biotech products especially in the agriculture sector where there was a wide division on the risks to human health by food products derived from genetically modified crops.
“Biotechnology to us is therefore not just a policy or a set of regulations; it is a commitment to the conscientious stewardship of life itself grounded on facts and figures and not sentiments or commercial drive,’’ he said.
Dr Tunji Alausa, Minister of State for Health and Social Welfare, said that it was paramount that issues of biosafety were addressed to ensure that biotechnology innovations were developed and tested to minimise risk to human and environment.
He added that the health of humans, wild animals, plants environment and the ecosystem were enhanced through the deployment of biotechnology application.
In her remarks, Dr Agnes Asagbra, the Director-General of the National Biosafety Management Agency (NBMA), said that the agency stood at the forefront of regulating modern biotechnology in Nigeria.
“By the guidance of the Federal Ministry of Environment, we are committed to providing a robust regulatory framework that safeguards human health and the environment from potential adverse effects of modern biotechnology.
“Our mandate is to ensure the safe application of modern biotechnology and to oversee the use of genetically modified organisms (GMOs); ensuring that it does not have any adverse impact of human health, plant life, animal and the environment.
“We are dedicated to safeguarding human health and preserving our rich biodiversity from potential adverse effects of modern biotechnology,” she said.
Asagbra added that the agency’s activities spanned from rigorous assessments of GMOs to public awareness campaigns; ensuring that biotechnological advancements were both safe and beneficial.
Dr Rose Gidado, Director, Agricultural Biotechnology Department, National Biotechnology Development Agency, said food security remained the utmost importance in the country
She said that modern biotechnology practice had a lot of potential with a promise for food security enhancement. (NAN)
F.A
April 30, 2024
Tags: Biotechnology minister
