Nigeria expresses readiness to embrace agricultural biotechnology

Akinwumi Adesina, the minister of agriculture and rural development, says Nigeria is ready to embrace agricultural biotechnology.

He said this weekend in Iowa at a world news conference organised by the World Food Prize Foundation (WFPF).

He advocated for an accelerated pace for the use of biotechnology, while calling for appropriate bio-safety regulations.

“Life is all about balancing the risk and we should not be afraid of science.

“The issue of food insecurity we are grappling with today in Africa can be overcome by science.”

Adesina said that through biotechnology, bio-fortified crops such as orange sweet potatoes, pro-Vitamin A cassava and drought tolerant maize now hold great promise for feeding the continent.

He explained that the U.S. transformed its agriculture by linking research and development, private sector and farmers thereby turning the nation into the largest producer and exporter of agricultural commodities.