The approval was
contained in a decision document issued by the National Biosafety Management
Agency (NBMA) granting permit for the environmental release of the PBR Cowpea
which has been genetically modified to resist the insect pest - Maruca Vitrata.
The approval means the
crop is safe and poses no harm to humans and the environment and can now be
submitted to the National Variety Release Committee for consideration and
registration as a commercial crop in Nigeria.
The PBR Cowpea, by this
development, becomes the first genetically modified food crop to be approved in
the country.
IAR in partnership with
the African Agricultural Technology Foundation (AATF) commenced the research to
address the deadly Maruca Vitrata attacks on beans in 2009 after series of
efforts to use conventional breeding methods failed to produce results.
After 10 years of
extensive research, government has deemed it fit to introduce the crop variety
into the nation’s agricultural seed system having met all regulatory stipulations
and scientific procedures.
The introduction will
address the national cowpea demand deficit of about 500,000 tonnes and also improve
the national productivity average of 350kg/hectare.
At a public display of
the approval, the coordinating agency for agricultural research in Nigeria, the
Agricultural Research Council of Nigeria (ARCN) said after many years of
research, the council was proud to present to Nigerians the first home-grown
genetically modified food crop which has passed all necessary scientific tests
and posed no danger to human health or the environment.
“As the coordinating
agency for the over 15 agricultural research institutes in Nigeria, we have
identified modern biotechnology as one scientific tool whose potentials can
help improve crop and animal production and we have done this with all sense of
responsibility, bearing in mind both national and international protocols that
guide the deployment of genetic modification.” the Executive Secretary of the
ARCN said.
The Executive Director
IAR, Prof. I. U Abubakar in a presentation summarising the process that lead to
the development of the PBR cowpea said the decision to venture into genetic
modification in cowpea breeding was as a result of pest infestation that has
over the years made cowpea farming difficult as farmers get less for their
efforts and even have their lives exposed to danger due to chemical spraying to
keep the pest away.
“Cowpea is the most
important food grain legume in Nigeria. The low yield of the crop in Nigeria is
due to many constraints particularly pod boring insects which cause up to 90%
yield loss in severe infestation cases.”
Dr Abdourhamane
Issoufou, AATF Country Director said since the mid 1980s, cowpea scientists
have declared maruca as the main limiting factor of cowpea production in Africa
hence the intervention of the AATF based on its principles of providing access
to appropriate technologies by small scale farmers.
“AATF was able to
obtain access to the Cry1Ab gene used for this modification on humanitarian
basis and worked with institutions in Nigeria, Ghana, Burkina Faso and Malawi for
the transformation. Today, Nigeria stands tall in the comity of nations for
effectively managing and bringing to fruition this dream.
The research results
have shown that the PBR-cowpea is safe for human and animals, completely
resistant to Maruca; leads to yield increase of 20% with fewer sprays of
chemical insecticides,” he noted.
Prof. Alex Akpa, Acting
Director General, National Biotechnology Development Agency (NABDA) said that
by the approval, Nigeria has registered her name among the global scientific
community as a country capable of finding solutions to her challenges.
“After 10 years of
laboratory works and on-field trials, Nigerian scientists have developed its
first genetically modified food crop, the PBR Cowpea, we are proud to be
associated with this noble development” Akpa said.
MORE ON PBR; http://www.aatf-africa.org/
No comments:
Post a Comment