Nigeria’s GM crops represent future of agriculture, scientist says

A Scientist, Dr Rose Gidado says Nigeria’s Genetically Modified (GM) crops represent more than scientific breakthroughs, noting they embody hope, resilience, and prospect of revitalising the country’s agricultural future.

Gidado said this in an interview with newsmen on Friday in Abuja.

Supreme news reports that the federal government had so far approved three GM crops for commercial release.

In 2018, Bt Cotton which was developed to be resistant to insect pest known as bollworm was commercially released for cultivation in order to help revitalise Nigeria’s cotton and textile industry.

Nigeria also became the first country to release Bt Cowpea (beans) variety, SAMPEA 20-T in 2019, developed to resist maruca pod borer, a pest that can cause up to 90 per cent yield loss.

In early 2024, Tela maize, a variety engineered to be drought-tolerant and resistant to the stem borer and fall armyworm pests was commercialised.

Gidado expressed optimism that harnessing biotechnology for sustainable agricultural development in Nigeria would enhance food security, improve livelihoods and drive economic growth.

She said that African nations can ensure equitable access to GM crops technology for all farmers, particularly smallholders, by prioritising policies that support fair intellectual property arrangements, reduce seed costs and promote robust seed-sharing systems.

Gidado is the Director, Agricultural Biotechnology Department of the National Biotechnology Research and Development Agency (NBRDA).

She noted that investing in local research and development and training African biotech scientists is key to empowering countries.

“Achieving this goal requires fostering robust partnerships between universities, research institutes and international organisations,’’ she said.

The scientist said that successful adoption of GM crops technology hinges on adequate infrastructure and technical capacity.

According to her, many African nations currently lack the necessary resources for testing, monitoring and scaling up GM crops.

To solve this problem, she said it is crucial to build local capacity in research, seed distribution and field trials in order to fully harness benefits of the technology.

She pointed out that concerns about seed success and affordability arise because GM seeds are often patented.

Gidado said, depending on multinational corporations for the supply of these seeds would raise costs and limit smallholder farmers’ ability to save and share seeds.

“Addressing these crucial issues require innovative seed distribution approaches, facilitated by partnerships among the public sector, the private sector and local organisations,’’ she said.