Dr. Chiedozie [ges; (left). Dr. Martin Fregene and Ada Mbanaso examining a cassava field at Umudike, Abia Slale ... recently
Scientists Urge Govt To Sign Biosafety Bill Into Law By Olukayode Oyeleye PART of efforts towards ensuring food security and safety, some scientists have rged President Jonathan to proceed and give assent to the bill on biological safety (referred to as biosafety) which was recendy passed by the national assembly. Now that the biosafety bill has been passed into law by the national assembly, "the next thing is Mr. President's assent after which the coast will be dear for the domestication of the Cartaghena Protocol on Biosafety that Nigeria signed and ratified in 2000 and 2001. By this, Nigeria can go into Commercialisation of genetically enhanced crops/foods, etc." This was the comment of Professor Bamidele Solomon, the chief executive officer of Nigeria's Biotechnology De. velopment Agency (NABDA), on Friday. Professor Solomon would want the government to encourage foreign investments on gen etically enhanced crops and products and to "encourage early entrance of Nigerians (local investors ) into the reserach, development and deployment of genetically enhanced crops/products." He, however, advised that there should be pro'active steps towards capturing early enough the anticipated advantages of this modern technology. According to him, there is the need for research institutes "to swing into immediate action to estabUsh confinement and containment facilities, to begin to resea rch into biosfety issues related to their mandate crops and to begin backrossing or re-introgression of genes of interest into our landraces (local varieties)." The NABDA chief disclosed that his agency, in collaboration with African Agricultural Technology Foundation (MTF) on an outreach programme called Open Forum on Agricultural Biotechnology (OFAB) which runs monthly. This forum, he noted, "can be used to reach out to the various stakeholders: Professor Solomon recalled that Nigeria signed and ratified an Internationally bindIng Biosafety Protocol known as 'cartagena
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Protocol' on Biosafety in 2000 and 2002 respectively." The Protocol, he continued, "requires parties to it to develop their Biosafery administrative and regulatory framework in order to effectively regulate the activities of modern biotechnology, genetically modified organisms (GMOs) and products thereof. The biosafety law is therefore, to domesticate the Cartagena Protocol on Biosafety which Nigeria signed and ratified and to abide by the protocol in line with our national needs," covering "all modern biotechnology activities, genetically modified organisms (GMOSI and products t hereof, including al germplasm." Dr. Chiedozie Egesi, a scientist at the National Root Crops Research Institute (NRCRl), Umudike, observed that, "now that the biosafery bill has been fully passed by the national assembly, and awaiting the president's aSsent and signing into a law, the critical next steps should be to develop workable guidelines that will allow bioteclinology practitioners to conduct research and development as well as ag-biotech business." Egesi noted that national and international organisations (induding public and private sectors) will have the opportunity to establish linkages that will enable them to reap the benefits of biotechnology. "The National Biosafety Agency that will be formed as the law gets fully operational will be the dearing house for anybody or organisation that will be engaging in biotechnology business." Their functions, according to him, "should include the certification of agencies that will be developing or importing GM foods or products or plants." He envisaged that "the operation of the law will engender home-grown capacity to test for GMOs and monitoring of the same. Also to be developed is capacity for regulatory trials before any GMO is approved for commercialisation." He discfosed that, already, 路some agencies like NRCRI have trained personnel in testing of zenes for their safety and food products for presence of trans-
enes." He indicated that "NRCRI and JAR ABU, Zaria) have been conducling confined .eld trials, which as the name implies, is restrictive and mostly a proof-of-concept activity." He expressed relief that, "now that the Law will become operational, there is some freedom (still under. regu lation by the new Agency) to conduct multi-location fi eld trials of commercialisable products, followed by regulatory trials, and then on-farm trials with farmers in order to ascertain farmers'/consumers' preferences for the products and eventual refease." He, however, stressed that, "there is now need to adapt the technology to our local conditions. One critical area is to make biotechnology products easily affordable to our poor farmers. In this regard the MTF has been playing active roles to negotiate with foreign technology developers royalty-free access to these products so tfiat the future of the poor farmers are secured in every such venture." He expressed his concern for the government "to support local insititutions by further strengthening capacity so that th e technology can be domesticated, arguing that "this new law can aid in reversing brain drain by attracting Nigerians" practicing this technology in the diaspora "who will see an enabling environ-
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"Now that the law will become operational, there is some freedom to conduct multi-location field trials of commercialisable products, followed by regulatory trials, and then on-farm trials with farmers in order to ascertain farmers'/consumers' preferences for the products and eventual release,"
ment back at home. He was of the view that the nation will be "better secured" as there would be checks on imported food products that "will help in the monitoring of illegal importation of unapproved GM products." Dr. Martin Fregene, a Nigerian and director of the BioCassava Plus (BC+) in the OCCice of International Programme (OIP), Donald Danforth Plant Science Centre, St Louis, informed The Guardian that, with the passage, "Nigeria now has a framework document for the regulation of commercial production, import, and transport of genetical!y' modified (GM ) crops." He observed that the law opens up the opportunity for Nigeria to benefit from the indisputable advantages of biotech crops, especially herbicide tolerant crops, which have been demonstrated to be a potent soil conversation intervention, pest resistant crops, and crops with enhanced nutrient content." According to Fregene, biotech crops have already passed the one billion hectare land mark worldwide, produced by 15 million farmers in 25 countries, in 14 developing countries, induding Burkina Faso, Egypt, and South Africa. He saw this as an opportunity "for the safe conduct of biotechnology research to find solytions to the challenges faced by agriculture in Nigeria, not least of all drought, disease and pests, and poor soil fertility." He was optimistic that the law would ensure that Nigeria will benefit from these powerful technologies to increase food productivity while safeguarding consumers and the environment. "With the passage of the law," he reasoned, "advanced research institutions abroad and the private sector seed company will be interested in partnering with Nigerian institutions and businesses to evaluate the potential of several relevant GM technologies, for example BT-Cotton and ro und-up ready soybean, for the 'benefit of the Nigerian farmer." He disclosed that "Round-up ready soybean has catapulted Bra zil and Argentina to the second and third
largest exporters of soybean respectively after the US."