Bt not an option, but necessity to crops productivity, says AATF Dr. Okogbenin

The director, Programme Development and Commercialization at African Agricultural Technology Foundation (AATF), Dr. Emmanuel Okogbenin.

The director, Programme Development and Commercialization at African Agricultural Technology Foundation (AATF), Dr. Emmanuel Okogbenin has said that the African Government should not a matter of alternative take biotechnology as a science, instrument to develop her food system towards high productivity.

This was stated in a press release made available to Food Farm News recently.

 Dr. Okogbenin noted in the statement that biotechnology is no longer viewed as an option but as a necessity that should be deployed alongside conventional breeding methods to improve genetic gains for enhanced crops productivity and value chains transformation in Africa.

The statement ascribed to Okogbenin as calling during the 23^rd virtual meeting of China Association of Science and Technology (CAST) for more strong support voices for agricultural biotechnology deployment to enhancing improved crops productivity in Africa with impact preferences on both farmers and consumers.

Dr. Okogbenin also noted that good policies and governance are required to drive biotechnology uptake and seed system development to achieve Sustainable Development Goals and the Africa Union (AU) Agenda 2063 aspirations on the continent.  

He also cited the successful development and commercialization of transgenic Pod Borer Resistant (PBR) Cowpea in Nigeria recently, adding that its release had improved yield from 70% to 400 with reduced use of pesticide sprays by farmers from 10 to two. The cultivation of Bt cowpea is best optimized under integrated pest management (IPM) strategy.

Dr. Okogbenin also pointed the TELA Maize project as another success story in biotech applications in Africa where 128 climate-smart hybrids have been released to farmers to enhance food security, pointing that PBR cowpea and tela are biotech focused projects are being implemented across Africa to increase productivity by African Agricultural Technology Foundation ( AATF) and its partners.

 

He urged African governments and regional economic communities to strengthen and harmonize biotechnology policies and biosafety regulations to create an enabling environment for biotechnology development and deployment in Africa.

“African regulators should avoid the adoption of strict regulatory regimes that will hinder application of new innovations in plant breeding adding that the continent should watch the temptation of over-regulating products of New Plant Breeding Techniques (NPBTs).

On seed system development, Dr. Okogbenin called for the need to facilitate policy reforms to create functional and efficient seed systems even as Africa the transition from informal to formal sector seed system, urging African leaders to invest in new farming technology with biotechnology inclusive.