The Centre for Food Safety and Agricultural Research (CEFSAR) has voiced concerns over the rapid spread of Genetically Modified Organisms (GMO) crops across Nigeria.
At a briefing yesterday ahead of a symposium to address those concerns in Abuja, the centre said that Nigeria lacks the necessary laboratory infrastructure to test and verify the safety of the GMOs products particularly in the food industry.
This gap in the regulatory framework according to the centre means there is no system in place for labelling GMOs, which has deprived consumers of the right to make informed choices about their food.
The executive-director of the centre, Prof Qristtuberg Amua warned of the potential dangers these crops pose to biodiversity, food safety, and the health of the Nigerian populace.
According to him, GMOs are engineered to resist high levels of pesticides, which could lead to the gradual disappearance of indigenous crops and a dependency on chemical-intensive farming methods.
He argued that this shift could result in increased pesticide runoff into water sources and soil while posing a significant risk to human health and the environment.
He also added that some reports suggest a correlation between the consumption of GMOs and an increase in health issues such as cancer and organ failure, particularly among the youth.
Although the long-term effects of GMOs on the human body are still being studied, some preliminary findings have sparked a nationwide conversation about the safety of these modified crops.
However, CEFSAR, director of operations, Segun Adebayo said that the patented nature of GMO seeds means farmers cannot replant harvested seeds without purchasing new ones each season, which according to him will lead to a loss of traditional agricultural knowledge and practices.
Adebayo emphasised that such dependency on seed companies could have far-reaching implications for food sovereignty and security in Nigeria.
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