Modern Biotechnology ‘ll Trigger Agric Revolution – NBMA DG

Mr Rufus Ebegba

The director-general of the National Biosafety Management Agency (NBMA), Mr Rufus Ebegba, has said that the safe application of modern biotechnology will trigger agricultural revolution in Nigeria.

Ebegba stated this yesterday when he paid a courtesy visit on the management of LEADERSHIP newspapers at its corporate headquarters in Abuja.

According to Ebegba, modern biotechnology has the huge potential to enhance the agricultural sector by drastically improving the output of farmers.

The NBMA boss said the Biosafety Act recently signed into law by the federal government will enable the new parastatal under the Ministry of Environment to effectively regulate the safe application of biotechnology in the nation.

He said: “This agency is a safety valve in the adoption of modern biotechnology for national economic development.

“Modern biotechnology has the huge potentials to enhance the agricultural sector, promote industrial growth, and the medical sector; and it can also be used for environmental sustainability; but our agency is not to promote modern biotechnology or its products but to ensure the safety because we are aware that this technology has that potential for adversity especially in the agricultural sector.

“Biosafety is just ensuring safety in the applications of modern biotechnology and use of Genetically Modified Organisms (GMO) and the public needs to know that government is making effort to ensure that products that will be delivered through this technology will be safe for human health and the environment.”

He assured Nigerians that the agency will provide a holistic biosafety regulation to ensure that modern biotechnology is applied for economic sustainability, stressing that though no adverse effect has been recorded via the application of modern biotechnology.