Bio-safety law holds many possibilities for Nigeria’s agribusinesses

Agricultural biotechnology is an issue that is very important to the economy of a nation, and for developing countries, it is vital to meeting the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs). There has been an intense debate over agricultural biotechnology for years. But, according to the Open Forum on Agricultural Biotechnology (OFAB) in Africa, this debate has focused mainly on hypothetical risks and questions related to value, safety and impact on the agronomy, economy and environment of a nation.

OFAB, which is a platform that brings together stakeholders in biotechnology and enables interactions between scientists, journalists, the civil society, industrialists, lawmakers and policy makers, however, says that in the last 10 years, many of the questions that have raised concerns on biotechnology have been put to rest.

According to OFAB, numerous studies and evidence-based fact-finding missions have shown that biotechnology-derived products have been proven to be economically viable, environmentally sustainable and as safe as their conventional counterparts. To these experts, properly integrated into traditional farming systems, biotechnology applications could make a difference in improving food security in Africa and other developing countries at large.

But many African countries have been reluctant to adopt biotechnology-derived products as the policy makers are confronted with contradictory sources of information and threats from some trade partners, according to OFAB, adding that scientific facts are often mixed with social, ethical and political considerations. But in the face of a rapidly growing population, declining agricultural productivity and reduced resources available for agricultural research, these experts have observed that policy makers are pressed to make the right decisions and are looking for guidance.

To that effect, an African Panel on Modern Biotechnology was set up by the African Union to advise the African heads of state on a common stand on biotechnology. At the country level, national scientists and experts were advised to provide policy makers and the general public with evidence-based information needed to harness such technologies.

OFAB findings reveal that since 1996, biotechnology-derived crops have been commercially planted and their adoption has been increasing steadily. These researchers also reveal that 11 countries growing these crops are from the developing world, for example Brazil. Realising the importance of this cutting-edge technology, the Nigerian government in 2001 established the agency, the National Biotechnology Development Agency (NABDA), after putting in place a National Biotechnology Policy.

Though the passage of a bio-safety bill has faced many hiccups in Nigeria, the country’s policy makers appear to be now set for the passage of the bill and subsequent executive assent. Therefore, October 16, this year, a day which is marked globally as the World Food Day, a public hearing for an Act to establish the National Bio-safety Management Agency was held at the National Assembly, in Abuja. Stakeholders unanimously endorsed this bio-safety bill, urging its speedy passage as the country has been missing out on huge economic and health opportunities such as a global market that runs into trillions of dollars.

Maurice Iwu, who currently heads the Bio Resources Institute of Nigeria, said at the forum that the market for genetic materials alone, which is just one of the many aspects of biotechnology, was worth over $500 billion globally. Iwu also said that the setting up of a facility to counter biological problems such as the notorious Ebola Virus Diseases (EVD) within a country would only be possible with a bio-safety bill in place. “The bill is not just for agric purposes but also to preserve our lives,” Iwu said.

Lucy J. Ogbadu, director-general, National Biotechnology Development Agency (NABDA), drew attention to the fact that the international treaty on biotechnology, to which Nigeria is a signatory, was meant to give adequate protection and sustenance to the practice of biotechnology and that consequently all member nations were supposed to domesticate the protocol.

South Africa, Egypt, Burkina Faso, Togo and Ghana have passed the bio-safety law and are all seeing the positive effects on their economies, Ogbadu noted, saying that biotechnology is one of the most reliable technologies. “It is also among the few technologies driving the economies of nations, propelling the economies of developed nations globally,” she said.

Ogbadu further said that Genetically Modified (GM) foods have passed the risk assessment of the World Health Organisation (WHO), Food and Agriculture Organisation (FAO), the African Union (AU) and New Partnership for African Development (NEPAD). “A body known as African Bio-safety Network of Expertise (ABNE) has been established under the AU-NEPAD. The Bio-safety law was passed in South Africa in 1989, Egypt passed their bio-safety law in 1995, Kenya in 2009 and is now a hub of commercialisation and investments on GM crops/GMOs in Sub Saharan Africa. Absence of bio-safety law has made it difficult for NABDA to perform its statutory functions.”

Earlier, during the forum, Abdul Bulama, minister of science and technology stated that the delay has affected manufacturing in Nigeria and robbed the country of countless opportunities. He also noted that it has led to the refusal of world seed companies to invest in Nigeria. “Current information is either distorted or sensational,” Bulama said and urged the media to allay the fears of people so that the bill can get the executive assent and the country would not continue to lose the opportunity to grow through biotechnology.

Suleiman Abdullahi, president, National Cotton Association of Nigeria, said, “India imports up to $6 billion of cotton annually through the use of biotechnology in production. Burkina Faso is now the leading cotton producer in West Africa as a result of agric biotechnolog. 10 flights leave Kenya with export produce daily. The revenue that would have accrued from these crops would have been more than even three times what the federal government needs to combat insurgency.”

The various stakeholders at the forum unanimously called for the fast-track of this bill, which will provide a legislative framework to regulate the application of biotechnology in Nigeria, and guarantee its legitimate control and practices in the country.

OLUYINKA ALAWODE