No GMO proposal yet says NACGRAB boss

GMO

·        OFAB says registration in progress

The high expectation to register at least two genetically modified industrial cotton and cowpea seeds with the National Committee on Naming, Registration and Release of Crop Varieties domiciled at National Centre for Genetic Resources and Biotechnology (NACGRAB) by the end of 2018 projection for commercialization have been hazy as proposal towards such has not been received, the Chief executive Officer, Dr. Sunday Alalade said in a telephone conversation with Food Farm News.

 Meanwhile, The National Coordinator, Open Forum on Agricultural Bio-technology ( OFAB) Nigeria Mrs. Rose Gidado has said the registration of Bt cowpea and industrial cotton with the National Committee on Naming, Registration and Release of crop varieties was in progress as on farm trails for these crops have been carried out.

Speaking with Food Farm News, Dr. Sunday Alade said the Centre and the National Committee on Naming, Registration and Release of Crop Varieties headed by Chief Oladosun Awoyemi have not received any formal proposal as regards the registration of any GMO, although pointed they are aware of Bt cotton and a team has visited the five states where the farm trails are being located for inspection last year October.

When asked the outcome of the visit, Dr. Alade said it was a success as the sites were visited with the hope of seeing performance and observations of the bt cotton on farm saying that the team with Prof. Candidus Echekwu of IAR, Zaria representing the National committee on registration and commercialization, the members of the National Agricultural Seed Council (NASC) together with himself had visited these farms for the purpose of observation of the performance of the crop and farmers’ position.

According to him “ we have not received any formal proposal pertaining to any GMOs for registration but we are aware of the ones going through farm trails across the states. We have as team visited the five states where farm trails are going on industrial cotton. The states are Gombe, Niger, Katsina, Kaduna, and FCT, Abuja. The visit was revealing as there was no much problem as the cotton seed oil is not edible and farmers are very expectant, although we still have our reservations. That is what we have done just last year. But there have not been any formal request for registration”

In another interaction, the National Coordinator, OFAB, Nigeria, Mrs. Rose Gidado told Food farm News that the progress for official registration of Bt cotton and cowpea are in progress added that the two engineering modified crops have gone through farm trail evaluations and observation which were part of the necessary criteria for proper registration with NACGRAB.

Dr. Gidado stressed the need for farmers’ acceptability of the new improved technologies towards enhancing food security and more economic earning adding that both Bt cowpea and cotton have gone through farm trails for data collection for its registration and commercialization with farmers involvement in the test for character qualities to higher yield.

She also hinted that cotton being a fiber crop has already been sent to National Bio-safety for proper quality test for its gene safety to the public use before embarking on harvest.