By Patrick Ugeh
The Director General of the National Biosafety Management Agency (NBMA), Rufus Ebegba, has identified biotechnology as a veritable tool for economic advancement, saying that with it, Nigeria could feed her population and attain sustainable development goals.
He made this assertion on Thursday in Abuja while inaugurating a six-man technical committee charged with the responsibility of reviewing the application dossier for the release of genetically modified cotton for on-farm trial and maize for confined field trial.
“With biotechnology we can feed our population,” he said. “We can attain Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). With this modern technology we can create employment in line with the goals of the federal government. With biotechnology, we can grow our economy beyond mere sustenance to existential strategy to the point of becoming a global major player in food importation “.
Speaking further, Ebegba said it became imperative to set up the committee in order to ensure the safety of the products both to human health, animal health and the environment.