Scientists  Seek Fertile Soil For  Biotechnology Improvement 

Nigerian scientists and experts have called on the government  to create an enabling environment for biotechnology to thrive in order to build, boost and sustain a national economy.
The experts made the call recently at a Biosafety and Biotechnology Sensitisation Workshop for North Central farmers and Agricultural Extension Agents in Abuja.
The Director General (DG) of National Biotechnology Development Agency (NABDA), Prof Abdullahi Mustapha, in his presentation, said a quarter of the world population expected to rise by 9.5 per cent in 2050 would be in Africa.
According to him, to aid in the building and boosting of a Nigeria’s national economy, the biotechnology and biosafety space must be encouraged to thrive.
Noting that present food production does not match the current population growth rate, Mustapha said Nigeria and Africa each year lose exponential amount in foreign exchange due to incessant food imports from developed countries.
“Transformation of agriculture in Africa requires a new approach focusing on Science, Technology and Innovations to increase productivity and generate surplus for trade and export”, he said.
The DG urged that Nigeria and Africa must wake up to the reality confronting the continent regarding food insufficiency and supply by investing in the biotechnology and biosafety space.
He stated that the challenges of  low food production, poor harvest, degraded soils, limited access to finance, dysfunctional markets, unconducive policies, climate change, among others, could be overcome.
Mustapha also said some of these challenges were self-inflicted and could be surmounted with zeal in the application of modern biotechnology and safe application of biosafety measures.