THE Federal Government through the Federal Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development (FMARD) has signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with the National Biosafety Management Agency (NBMA) in order to enhance food safety in the country.
The Permanent Secretary in the Ministry, Dr. Mohammed Bello Umar signed the MoU on behalf of the Federal Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development in Abuja.
The Permanent Secretary emphasized the need for the inter-agency collaboration saying the Federal Government is determined to diversifying the economy to non-oil revenue generating sectors in which agriculture is one of the key sectors.
He said there is urgent need for improvement of the output of agricultural commodities as this can be achieved with Genetically Modified Organisms (GMOs).
Umar also raised concerns on the potential risks and threats associated with the use of GMOs, stressing the need for relevant stakeholders to minimise the threat and ensure that the gene of insert is considered safe for consumption.
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He stated that the Federal Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development is the competent authority for the certification of animals for import and export purposes, adding that the Ministry will make it a prerequisite to issue import permit for only GMOs of animal origin which gene of insert has been certified safe by the National Biosafety Management Agency.
Earlier in his remarks, the Director-General, NBMA, Dr. Rufus Ebegbe, said there was need for an inter-agency collaboration between the Ministry and the agency agency in order to have one body that will achieve main objectives of the Federal Government on food sufficiency and safety.
He reassured Nigerians that the agency is committed to regulate all the products of modern biotechnology to ensure that there are environmental friendly and safe for human and animal consumption.
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