The Biotechnology Society of Nigeria has cautioned against the activities of what it described as paid detractors of genetic modification technology.
President of BSN, Sylvia Uzochukwu, said this in an interview on Monday in Abuja.
According to her, Nigeria and South Africa are the heroes of GM technology in Africa.
“Detractors should not be allowed to derail the progress made in the last 20 years in GM adoption in Nigeria to ensure food security,’’ she stated.
Ms Uzochukwu dismissed the claim in some quarters that the terminator gene, otherwise known as Genetic Use Restriction Technology to trigger sterile or “suicide seeds” in plants, was used by biotechnology companies.
She said it was false that the gene was meant to ensure farmers returned to biotechnologists each planting season to purchase seeds because the previous ones were sterile.
She clarified that GURT was meant to protect the environment by preventing the escape of transgenes.
Experts say transgenes are genes that are taken from one organism’s genome and introduced into another organism’s genome by artificial techniques.
“In 2000, however, the UN Convention on Biological Diversity recommended a moratorium on field-testing and commercial sale of terminator seeds.
“The moratorium was re-affirmed, and the language strengthened in March 2006 at the Eight Conference of the Parties (COP8) meeting of the UN Convention on Biological Diversity.
“That moratorium is in force till date. No one is using terminator technology anywhere in the world today,’’ Ms Uzochukwu said.
(NAN)
