Prof. Alex Akpa, Director General of National Biotechnology Development Agency (NABDA), says Nigeria can attain food security with the adoption of sustainable technologies that can advance food production.
Akpa said this in an interview with the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN), on Tuesday in Abuja.
He emphasised that Nigeria must embrace agricultural innovations currently being adopted by nations of the world who were termed food secured.
“For Nigeria to be classed as a food secured, all people at all times must have physical, social and economic access to sufficient, safe and nutritious food,” he said.
The professor pointed out that food security had become a contemporary development issue due to its role in transforming people’s livelihood, promoting good health, and mitigating endemic poverty.
He maintained that with sound economic policies, capitalisation, innovative approaches to food production, proper application, and embracement of technology and innovative solutions, food insecurity would be a thing of the past in Nigeria.
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He said President Muhammadu Buhari’s decision to close Nigeria’s borders was commendable.
“The decision has now made farming attractive, therefore it is important to follow swiftly with available solutions, business models, and policies that will increase food production and turn our economy around.
“With biotechnology deployment, we can leapfrog our agro-production, have better quality products and high yields, reduce drudgery and improve resistance to pest and diseases in the agricultural sector,’’ Akpa said.
The NABDA boss, therefore, called on governments at all levels, stakeholders, and scientists to join hands and build a knowledge-driven economy, enhance food security to attain zero hunger by 2030.
