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The Minister of Environment, Amina Mohammed has said that Nigeria is ready to deploy biotechnology to boost the economy of the country.
In an interview with the press after a courtesy visit to her office by the Open Forum on Agricultural Biotechnology (OFAB) in Africa Programming Committee (PC) Members to her office, she explained that Nigeria is blessed with experts in biotechnology and the National Biosafety Management Agency (NBMA) is there to ensure safety application of the technology.
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Again cautioning the Biosafety Agency, she called for the need for education: education is key; ignorance brings fear, opposition and pushes back things that are good for us . . . .
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In her remarks, the Director-General National Biotechnology Development Agency, (NABDA) Professor Lucy Ogbadu highlighted the challenges facing the country in the area of agricultural food production which is characterized by low productivity due to pest and insects infestation; desertification, gully erosion, flood, micronutrient deficiency, and coupled with population increase, Nigeria needs to adopt and embrace biotechnology. The DG said transgenic varieties of crops are more productive, precise in gene transfer -overcomes the limitations of traditional breeding; allows scientists to use new traits from many kinds of plants and other living things. . . .
Concluding her presentation, she reported that Nigerian scientists have waited for 14 years to have Biosafety law to operate fully like their counterparts in other countries. . . .
Read full, original post: Nigeria Environment Minister says Biotech has role to play in Economy
