The acronym GMO means Genetically Modified Organisms. It is a term used to describe foods that have been genetically modified, in that some genetic materials in the foods have been altered from their naturally occurring states into the new state you now have them.
They were first introduced in the United States of America in 1994 and have since then been gaining acceptance in many countries excluding most countries in Europe. While they have been approved in Nigeria, several groups have been vehemently opposed to their introduction in Nigeria because of their safety risks.
For those who care to know, many of the packaged processed food items that you buy in food stores are GMO foods. Experts say that most of the imported food items that you often buy from our supermarkets in Nigeria are genetically modified. They also claimed that countries such as United Kingdom, Italy, Germany, Russia, Japan and New Zealand are among the countries that are against the introduction of GMO foods into their country.
While Nigeria has food insecurity challenges, some agriculturists say that adoption of GMO foods may enable Nigeria to overcome such food insecurity. Others argue that adoption of GMO foods may not be the answer to Nigeria’s food insecurity because of the associated risks of GMO foods and the fact that the gains made in the short run will be wiped out in the long
run.
Since the introduction of GM crops in the country, the biotech industry has fought hard to ensure the spread of genetically modified crops and the acceptance of the technology. Unfortunately, their effort has not yielded the expected results because the crops have not yielded the much touted benefits by the biotech industry in countries where they have been released for commercialisation and because the industry promoted hype has, in the main, failed to convince local farmers and the consumers.
While proponents of the GMO technology are fighting hard to ensure its acceptance by Nigerians, many Civil Society Organisations (CSOs) in the country are busy evaluating the performance and the impact of those GM crops that have been released to the market for adoption. This is to enable the CSOs have full picture of the spread and impact of the GMO crops and organisms, and to help them separate the hype from reality in terms of the benefits and the risks inherent in the consumption of GMO crops.
Some agricultural experts have also adverted Nigerians’ attention to the fact that 19 European countries that care about the health of their people have completely banned GMOs and that if the present administration is serious about diversification of the economy, then organic farming is the way to go.
They noted that the Institute of Agricultural Research, Ahmadu Bello University and the International Institute of Tropical Agriculture (IITA), Ibadan, have been developing successful varieties of crops using conventional methods and that these research centres should be
supported.
Stories abound that GM crops have been withdrawn in some countries. They cited the withdrawal of Monsanto’s genetically modified maize (LY038) in Europe due to safety concerns. Also, more than 1,000 farmers in Texas, Louisiana, Mississippi, Arkansas and Missouri, in the USA, were said to have sued Bayer AG based in Leverkusen, Germany, for allegedly contaminating their farms with GM rice seeds.
A report by the New York Times on November 29, 2016 titled, “Uncertain Harvest: Doubts About the Promised Bounty of Genetically Modified Crops” concluded that, “genetic modification in the United States and Canada has not accelerated increases in crop yields or led to an overall reduction in the use of chemical pesticides.” The analysis by The Times, shows that the United States and Canada have gained no major advantage in yields per acre when measured against Western Europe, a region with comparably modernised agricultural producers like France and Germany.
But, in Africa, Burkina Faso which took the lead on GMO production, has dumped its GMO cotton following its inferior lint quality
and the enslavement of buying expensive seeds and chemicals from Monsanto every year, for an income less than what the farmers were making before introducing the GMO
cotton.
