By Chuks Oyema-Aziken
The Director-General/CEO, National Biosafety Management Agency, Dr. Rufus Ebegba has given reasons why TELA maize variety was presented to the public before the commercial release.
Speaking during the public presentation of the research works in Abuja, Ebegba said the public presentation was to determine it’s relevance, safety, sustainability to the environment and health for the public.
He said the event allows for the public to follow the decision of the Agency with regards to the product.
He warned that the Agency will not hesitate to withdraw the permit if the laws of the country were flouted.
Speaking during the public presentation of the research works today (October 8) in Abuja, the executive director, IAR, Prof. Isiyaku Mohammed, said that the TELA Maize variety gave on average 19 per cent yield advantage relative to similar non-GM, hybrids and 40 per cent higher yield than the commercial checks under the infestation of stem borer and FAW.
The AATF executive director, Dr. Canisius Kanangire, in a goodwill message to the meeting, said the development of TELA was because of the sufferings of farmers who worked very hard but reaped nothing.
Kanangire said the technology provides an avenue to overcome the numerous challenges facing farming and hindering productivity, hence the determination of AATF to ensure that African farmers have access to life-changing technologies that make farming interesting and profitable.
Earlier, the principal investigator for the TELA maize project, Prof. Rabiu Adamu, noted that TELA maize hybrids will reduce the use of insecticides. Currently, the only option for farmers to control the recalcitrant maize pest is the chemical spray.
“The coming of TELA maize variety will greatly improve farmers’ yields and income of Nigerian farmers. Eliminating the twin challenge of pests and drought will save Nigeria a lot of foreign exchange hitherto used to purchase chemicals,” he said.
In his remarks, the TELA maize project manager, AATF, Dr. Sylvester Oikeh, said maize farmers will benefit greatly from the approval by the National Biosafety Management Agency (NBMA) for the TELA maize hybrids to be tested with farmers for commercial release because farmers who spend over N50,000 per acre every season to protect their maize against these pests will be relieved.
The public presentation is one of the requirements of the NBMA that allows the public to have a say in the research process before it is deregulated and allowed to be planted across Nigeria in national performance trials with farmers, before it is commercially released as a variety for production in Nigeria.
