GMOs: FACAN BOT chairman cautions FG

 

The chairman, Board of Trustees ( BOT) and former President, Federation of Commodity Associations ( FACAN), Dr. Victor Iyama has warned the Federal Government( FG) against buying into the cultivation of Genetically Modified ( GM) seeds, saying it will be toxic to the soil and human health.

Dr. Victor Iyama, in a one-on-one chat with our correspondent, described the planting of GMOs in our lands as acidic, even at the interjection with evidence of proof, and insisted on the potential of being able to destroy our soil and cause cancer in human bodies.

The FACAN BoT chairman argued that GM Seeds cultivation will be to the disadvantage of the conventional ones, as farmers would keep buying the seeds to get the high yield until the land is destroyed against further yield adding that the negative impact of such low yield on lands is already appearing across the regions.

Responding to scientists position on the technology, Iyama said that GM seeds cultivation in Nigeria was a time bomb to our food security adding that not all scientists believed in the modified technology even as some of them who are strong advocates were not saying the truth.

According to him, " Scientists are economical of the truth, and not all scientists. There are many of them that are saying it should not be encouraged. It is a time bomb because it is a killer. It is a promoter of cancer and all others."

When asked for evidence of the proof to cause cancer, Iyama said that " they cannot say that there is no proof because there have been many deaths caused by cancer. Look at ginger, it is those seeds they brought that caused ginger blight.

Iyama is opposed to the continuous cultivation of the seeds, saying, " If you continue cultivating GM seeds, it will be to the disadvantage of our other conventional seeds as you will continue buying the GM seeds against our own seeds. And if they stop selling to you, then your country will go hungry."

He called on the government to disregard the misleading information and encouraged organically grown food, saying a position paper would soon be made available as a point of reference by his association.

" We will not keep quiet like other countries. Everybody is going organic, not GMO. They should stop misleading the government. We will put our record straight as FACAN position.

Also speaking to us, the National President, Banana/ Plantain Growers, Processors and Marketers Association of Nigeria, Chief Adjarho Oghenekaro said his position on banana cultivars at a meeting at National Horticultural Research Institute ( NIHORT) about GMO was cleared, and that his association is not supporting genetically modified seeds for their produce.