Genetically Modified Crops in Nigeria to undergo labelling to promote transparency

The federal ministry of health and social welfare has unveiled plans to enhance regulations on genetically modified (GM) crops by mandating labelling, ensuring traceability, and enforcing strict adherence to safety standards in order to promote transparency and build public trust.

The director of food and drug services, John Atanda, disclosed this during a GMO sensitisation workshop for directorate officers organised by the Open Forum for Agricultural Biotechnology (OFAB) in Abuja.

He announced a collaboration with other relevant agencies, including the National Agency for Food and Drug Administration and Control (NAFDAC) and the National Biotechnology Management Agency (NBMA).

This partnership aims to ensure the proper labeling and monitoring of GM products.

Atanda reaffirmed the government’s commitment to public health, pledging that all products derived from modern biotechnology would be subjected to rigorous safety assessments.

He further explained that these evaluations will cover allergenicity, nutritional composition, long term health effects, and environmental impact to ensure only safe and wholesome food reaches consumers.

The Nigeria country director of OFAB, Rose Gidado, emphasized the long standing safety record of Genetically Modified Organisms (GMOs), noting they have been in safe use for over three decades in approximately 45 countries.

She said: “The government cannot give poison to its people. If the story is that when you plant GMOs, it will destroy all the crops around it, then Nigeria should have died of hunger.”

Gidado explained that GM crops are developed through evidence-based research and warned that failure to invest in research and development could leave Nigeria heavily dependent on food importation.

The director general of the National Biotechnology Development and Research Agency (NABDA), Abdullahi Mustapha, revealed that farmers who cultivated GM maize, also known as TELLA Maize, recorded a 50 per cent yield increase.

He further noted that field studies and economic evaluations on cowpeas have shown significant returns for farmers growing pod borer-resistant cowpea, as reduced insecticide sprays have resulted in higher yields and stronger profits.