Madam Gloria Adazebra, a Research Scientist, Savanna Agricultural Research Institute (SARI), has urged African governments to explore all options to increase food production for the increment in the African population.
She said with a rapidly increasing population, the demand for food is rising, such that ensuring a stable and sufficient food supply was crucial to prevent hunger and malnutrition.
Madam Adazebra said agriculture was a significant part of many African economies, and that enhancing food production could boost the agricultural sector, create jobs, and stimulate economic growth.
The Research Scientist was speaking at a workshop organised for bloggers and social media influencers by the Council for Scientific and Industrial Research (CSIR) and the Open Forum on Agricultural Biotechnology (OFAB) in Accra.
The goal of the workshop was to bring clarity on biotechnology issues, the regulations on biotechnology and related Genetically Modified (GM)products, the status of the Pod-borer resistant (PBR) Cowpea in Ghana as well as the benefits of the technology.
Madam Adazebra said achieving self-sufficiency in cowpea production was crucial due to the significant volume of cowpeas currently imported to offset domestic production deficits.
She said the PBR cowpea variety was set to significantly enhance cowpea production in the country, and that the variety required fewer pesticide applications, allowing farmers to re-allocate resources previously spent on pest control to expanding their cultivation area.
“Cowpeas are a staple in our country’s diet, as a result, farmers can increase their overall production, leading to a greater availability of cowpeas for consumers, thereby boosting overall output” she added.
Madam Adazebra said many people opposed GMOs, but it was important to understand that GMOs were just one of the tools available for agriculture, such that no one was being forced to adopt GM technology.
“It is simply an option that farmers can choose to utilise if they wish. Do not discourage someone from pursuing something beneficial to them simply because you do not favour it. Everyone has the right to make their own choices, and farmers should be free to select the methods that best suit their needs,” she stressed.
Madam Bella Rosaling Nkansah, Senior Regulatory Officer, Foods and Drugs Authority, food was considered to be safe for consumption if there was reasonable certainty that no harm will result from intended use under the anticipated conditions of consumption.
She said in the past 28 years, GM foods had become part of mainstream agriculture in several developed and developing countries alike.
Madam Nkansah said though not a panacea to food security, it presented an opportunity to overcome the limitations on conventional breeding.
The Senior Regulatory Officer said a myriad of concerns had however been raised relating to ethics, trade, legal, environmental safety and food or feed safety issues.
She said according to the World Health Organisation, whenever changes were made in the process by which food was made or a new process was introduced, the implication for the safety of the product should be examined, and that the scope of the evaluation would depend on the nature of the perceived concerns.
Madam Nkansah said accordingly, use of GMOs for food or feed was strictly regulated such that most regulatory authorities globally required a comprehensive safety assessment.
She said genetic modification had come as one of the tools from crop improvement to meet food security needs.
She said the concerns associated with the use of GM Foods cannot be ignored, adding that regulatory measures had to be put in place to ensure the advantages were fully maximised for the benefit of the public.
GNA
