DG urges adoption of GMO crops to enhance food security


The Nigeria Agricultural Quarantine Service (NAQS) has called for the adoption of Genetically Modified crops as a means of guaranteeing food security in the country.
Dr Vincent Isegbe, Coordinating Director of NAQS, made the call in an interview with the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) in Abuja on Thursday.
He said that the Genetically Modified foods are produced through the use of genetic engineering techniques to improve cultivation and harvests.
The coordinator said that with the techniques, crops could be resistant to drought, pests, and herbicides, saying it is healthier than the native crops.
He opined that the adoption of GMOs in the country would increase farmers’ yields and income, and also check youths` unemployment.
``The issue of whether to adopt GMOs product in the country has dominated both print and electronic media recently and experts have gathered to discuss against or for its adoption.
``I want the country to go for GMOs. Let us just give it a trial for the first two years and see whether all our fears and aspirations can be achieved.
``The fear people are having is that it could cause cancer or other diseases but this is not true.
``If you plant GMOs crops and seeds, it will translate to very high yields that you can never achieve when you use ordinary seeds.
``This could lead to bumper harvest and increase in income, `` he said.
He explained that although GMOs crops have disadvantages but stated that this could be corrected by the scientists.
`` The GMO crops require heavy inputs that are expensive because if you plant GMO after the first generation, you cannot make use of that seed again, you have to go back to the market to buy.
`` The gene modified against a particular pest, you might not know and another pest can come up and become host which can destroy that crop.
``Pollution is another challenge but it can be corrected by giving a reasonable distance between the GMOs farm and normal farm, `` he said.
Isagie added that GMOs for animals could affect humans because some of the chemicals used could cause cancer and other diseases to human body but this would not happen to crops.
NAN reports that GMOs bill was signed into law by the former President Goodluck Jonathan`s administration in 2015. 

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