The  National Biotechnology Research and Development Agency (NBRDA) has urged the media to stand in the communication gap in favour of biotechnology development n Nigeria, re-affirming the safety in the consumption of genetically modified foods.

Prof. Abdullahi Mustapha, Director General/Chief Executive Officer of the agency, affirmed this during a one-day media field trip to NBRDA FARMS on Monday in Abuja.

The trip was organised by Open Forum On Agricultural Biotechnology (OFAB), an initiative of the African Agricultural Technology Foundation (AATF).

“Today, you shall be visiting our TELA Maize farms. This provides an exciting opportunity to see for yourselves what we have been doing here and equally gather your findings on what you have seen today and then take back the message to the people to quell some of the miscommunications about Genetically Modified Organisms (GMO) crops.

“TELA Maize hybrid varieties were developed to address some of the pressing challenges facing our farmers, including pests and diseases that can significantly reduce crop yields,” he said.

According to him, the production of the TELA MAIZE hybrid was done through the combined efforts of scientists at the Institute for Agricultural Research (IAR), Zaria in collaboration with stakeholders in key institutions such as NBRDA, NBMA, NASC, and the AATF Research Team.

“We are here to showcase our demonstration farms of genetically modified versions of commonly consumed crops developed by our  scientists that have enjoyed rave reviews from the global world of science and the agricultural sector.

“These experts have worked tirelessly to ensure that this crop is not only high-yielding but also safe for human consumption,” he added.

He noted that the National Biosafety Management Agency (NBMA) has been instrumental in ensuring the safety and efficacy of TELA Maize which is believed to have the potential to transform the agricultural landscape in Nigeria and beyond.

Dr Jean Baptiste, the Regional Representative of the African Agricultural Technology Foundation, said that GMOs were aimed at leveraging the potential of biotechnology to develop a system that will help farmers.

He said TELA Maize is a variety, developed using biotechnology methods to control insects.

“It also checks the resistance to drought and controls army worms, and stem borer insects in maize.

“At the end of the day, the benefits are enormous because it helps farmers increase yield and to be able to meet food security issues.

Dr Francis Nwankwo, a TELA Maize developer from the African Agriculture Technology Foundation (AATF) explained the processes saying TELA Maize passed through  a genetic transformation that happens at the DNA level .

“They are not manufactured. What happens is we identify genes that can inhibit the infestation or reduce the infestation of some lepidoptera pests that affect some crops.

“So when we identify those genes we incorporate them into the DNA of maize thereby making it the maize, plus the genes.

“That way we increase the genes and reduce the struggles that our conventional maize go through on our farms from the stem borer insect and others,” he said.

In her presentation, Dr Rose Gidado, Director, Agricultural Biotechnology Department, NBRDA, explained that many countries have derived huge benefits from TELA Maize citing countries such as the U.S. and Canada.

“We actually brought you here so you could see the disparities between the TELA Maize and the non-TELA Maize species, and the environment which is far different from what we see on social media.

“We have other crops like beans that have actually been through the same gene transfers and are doing perfectly well and are safe for consumption,” she said.

She, therefore, urged the media to be on the guard in view of a lot of misinformation going round on social media and take responsibility in providing related information to the public adequately and objectively.