First GMO in Nigeria: Commercial Release of Pod Borer Resistant Cowpea II

First GMO in Nigeria: Commercial Release of Pod Borer Resistant Cowpea II

As mentioned in the first part of this article, cowpea is a common crop in Nigeria, which is predominantly grown by smallholder farmers. The crop serves as a primary source of protein for both urban rich and rural poor Nigerians. With serious threat to food insecurity coupled with the results of the Fifth Multiple Indicators Cluster Survey (MICS5) recently released, the choice of cowpea for the development of first Nigerian GMO is certainly dexterous in our national effort to achieve food security. The National Bureau of Statistics (NBS) in collaboration with the National Primary Health Care Development Agency (NPHCDA) with technical and financial supports from International developmental Agencies conducted the fifth round MICS5 between 2016 and 2017. The survey result painted a bleak future the children in Nigeria. It showed high level of malnutrition among children under the age five nationwide with the highest concerns in northern states. Child wasting (children who are too thin for their age) increased from 24.2% to 31.5%, while child stunting (children who are too short for their age) increased from 34.8% to 43.6%. To address this serious national concern and reverse the problem, we must take measures to improve the availability and affordability of food crops with dense nutrition. Cowpea (popularly called beans) is the best choice food crop that meets these requirements.

With PBR cowpea, farmers will no longer need to use toxic chemicals on the production and preservation of cowpea, yield will increase, and more cowpea will be available for food to Nigerians and beyond. This is indubitably a highly commendable effort to IAR and her likable collaborators and supporters. While commending the developers of the first Nigerian GMO, it must be stated that GMO connotes dreadful fear to some people. Is GMO safe for human consumption? Is PBR cowpea safe to humanity?

Answer to the first question is emphatically affirmative: all scientific evidences show that GMO is safe for human consumption with strict adherence to biosafety measures during and after the research and development, there is nothing to fear. To answer the second question, I will present a response from an indefatigable scientist of biotechnology, Dr. Rose M. Gidado to an NGO allegation that PBR cowpea can cause cancer. This allegation came before the formal release of the cowpea. The title of response was “Why GM beans can’t cause cancer”, it is as follows:

Penultimate week, an NGO went to the press with the news that the yet to be released genetically modified cowpea developed by the Institute for Agricultural Research, Ahmadu Bello University, Zaria will cause cancer among Nigerians.

Their conspiracy theory was targeted at discrediting the 10- year research work undertaken by scientists in one of Nigeria’s top universities.

Although the faces behind the NGO claimed to be scientists, their claims showed they lacked basic knowledge of biology making their claims and position not only faulty but lacking scientific basis.

Using common sense, one is even surprised that the NGO is shouting at roof- top when no one has been granted access to the beans to have cooked, eaten and found it to be cancerous.

Prof Ishiyaku Mohammed, a Professor of plant breeding who led the research pointed out clearly that the rules of substantial equivalence applied in the development of the Bt. Beans.

According to Mohammed, all the research efforts that went into the production of the Cowpea (Beans) was conducted by Nigerian scientists using tax payers money from the university, how then will they engineer a crop to kill Nigerians.

In food safety, the concept of substantial equivalence holds that the safety of a new food, particularly one that has been genetically modified, may be assessed by comparing it with a similar traditional food that has proven safe in normal use over time.

Substantial equivalence is a concept, first described in an Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) publication in 1993, which stresses that an assessment of a novel food, in particular one that is genetically modified, should demonstrate that the food is as safe as its traditional counterpart.

The concept of substantial equivalence was developed proactively before any new genetically modified (GM) foods came to the market. It was first described in an OECD publication in 1992, produced by about 60 experts from 19 OECD countries, who spent more than two years discussing how to assess the safety of GM foods. Most of these experts, all nominated by governments, were regulatory scientists from government agencies and ministries responsible for consumer safety.

In 1996, participants at an expert World Health Organization/Food and Agriculture Organization consultation recommended, “safety assessments based upon the concept of substantial equivalence be applied in establishing the safety of foods and food components derived from genetically modified organisms”. This represented an endorsement by experts based on three years' experience in the safety assessment of various GM foods.

According to Nature, an international journal of science, substantial equivalence is not a substitute for a safety assessment. It is a guiding principle, which is a useful tool for regulatory scientists engaged in safety assessments. It stresses that an assessment should show that a GM variety is as safe as its traditional counterparts. In this approach, differences may be identified for further scrutiny, which can involve nutritional, toxicological and immunological testing.

The approach allows regulators to focus on the differences in a new variety and therefore on safety concerns of critical importance. Biochemical and toxicological tests are certainly not precluded.

Since the concept of substantial equivalence was first described, several new foods have been assessed and knowledge has accumulated on how to use the concept. In parallel, the OECD, its governments and others have continued to review its adequacy in food safety assessment and to develop supporting tools.

The OECD's task force on the safety of novel foods and feeds, in particular, continues to focus on the application of the concept. This includes work on assessment methodologies when substantial equivalence cannot be applied, as well as efforts to identify the critical nutrients and toxicants found in major crop plants, as a focus for the demonstration of substantial equivalence.

In the case of the Bt. Cowpea developed in Nigeria by the IAR, Dr Francis Onyekachi, a plant breeder with the African Agricultural Technology Foundation put it mildly when he said that the only person that can differentiate the Bt. Cowpea from the ordinarily beans is the Maruca vitrata pest for which the beans was engineered to withstand.

“The modification carried out on the beans has nothing to do with its looks, taste, colour, size nor its nutritional composition.  The Cowpea was only conferred with the resistance to the Maruca pest,” he added.

Dr Theodore Akpa, a food scientist said that singling out the Bt. Cowpea, as a cancer-causing agent is the highest level of ignorance, aimed at purely spreading falsehood.

“We have to understand that just because it was modified does not change it from what it was originally,” Dr Akpa said.

 The development of the Bt. Cowpea (Beans), mainly to withstand the ravaging impact of Maruca, is a great feat on the part of Nigerian scientists and they should be celebrated rather than discrediting their 10-year effort to uplift Nigeria.

Chief Audu Ogbe, Minister of Agriculture and Rural Development said recently that Nigeria has become the dumping sites for finished goods and products from all part of the globe. He challenged Nigerian scientists to step up their game and turn around the tides and make Nigeria a proud leader in the global innovations and inventions.

Chief Ogbe lamented the situation that has turned Nigeria into a net importer of everything including toothpicks and said that with support and encouragement, Nigerian scientists can excel.

We should support our own and encourage them to do more rather than collect peanuts from foreign interest and run down genuine efforts capable of transforming our landscape for better.

Yes, we need to support this new innovation to address our food security challenges and make Nigeria achieve food security sooner than later.

IAR Giant Stride: Commercial Release of Pod Borer Resistant Cowpea, the First GMO in Nigeria

IAR Giant Stride: Commercial Release of Pod Borer Resistant Cowpea, the First GMO in Nigeria

You can follow this link to read the version of Neptune Prime, an online Newspaper

https://go.shr.lc/2E1yg8c

Monday, 28^th January 2019 became the momentous date in the history of genetic engineering of agricultural commodities in Nigeria. It was a day that Nigeria emerged triumphant in a global scientific community as a country capable of using biotechnology to address food security challenges. The day was certainly a milestone for food scientists in Nigeria and abroad because of the commercial release of pod Borer Resistant (PBR) Cowpea. The Federal Government of Nigeria approved the commercial release of the PBR Cowpea, which was developed by the Institute for Agricultural Research (IAR), one of the research centers of Ahmadu Bello University, Zaria. IAR is also among the seventeen National Agricultural Research Institutes under the auspices of Federal Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development (FMARD), Abuja.

The PBR Cowpea, by this development, becomes the first genetically modified food crop to be approved in the country. IAR in partnership with the African Agricultural Technology Foundation (AATF) commenced the research to address the deadly Maruca Vitrata attacks on beans in 2009. This became necessary when series of efforts to use conventional breeding methods failed to produce the desired results. Ten years of extensive research by IAR and her collaborators on genetic engineering is highly commendable considering the environmental challenges to scientific research in Nigeria. It is also commendable to the Federal government for the prompt action to commercially release the product of this tireless intellectual work conducted over a ten-year period.

As a scientist, I am fully aware that the environmental challenges to research work in Nigeria involving laboratory and field experimentations are enormous. The enormity is more pronounced in genetic improvement of bio-resources that takes ample time, colossal financial resources and innate intellectual capabilities.  According to CropLife International organization (https://croplife.org/plant-biotechnology/regulatory), The cost of discovery, development and authorization of a new plant biotechnology trait introduced between 2008 and 2012 in USA was on the average of US$136 million. The time from the initiation of a discovery project to commercial launch is estimated to be 13.1 years on average for all the GMO crops. This huge financial resource for GMO research and development (R&D) in USA is equivalent to N48 billion in Nigerian currency. In addition to the time for R&D, there are also registration and regulatory procedures. The time for these stages (registration and regulatory) was increased in USA from the avaerage of 44.5 months (3.7 years) for a GMO crop introduced before 2002, to the current estimate of 65.5 months (5.5 years). This is because various activity stages overlap in real time and they do not reflect the actual duration of the overall R&D process. While that price tag is significant, so are the losses from pests, diseases and other issues that these new traits are designed to help farmers combat. For example, the U.S. Department of Agriculture has estimated corn rootworm causes $1 billion dollars in damage to the U.S. corn crop alone each year. By delivering traits that can fight these pests, it increases farmers’ productivity. From the foregoing analysis, it is therefore clear that this seemingly simple event of releasing the PBR cowpea variety is by no means a mammoth breakthrough by IAR and in deed by the nation.   

The release of the PBR cowpea variety into the nation’s agricultural seed system was necessitated by two key reasons. First, the variety successfully passed all regulatory stipulations and international scientific procedures subjected to GMO for safety and standard. Second, the Federal government is very desirous of making the nation achieve food security through use of improved technologies. What are the likely impacts the release of PBR cowpea variety will achieve in the next few years? What made IAR scientists and their collaborators achieve this giant feat?

Starting with the last question on motivation for the scientists to achieve the gargantuan landmark in genetic engineering. Without mincing words, financial gain to the team or the Institute, IAR is certainly out of the question because of our lackadaisical attitude as a nation in financing scientific research. According to Kuriuki, the director of the African Academy of Sciences’ Alliance, Nairobi, Kenya, “Government money (in Africa) is spent on development and security, not research and innovation”. He quoted the World Economic Forum, “Africa produces only 1.1% of global scientific knowledge. The continent has just 79 scientists per million of inhabitants compared to countries like Brazil and United States where the ratio stands at 656 and 4,500, respectively. Worst of all, of those scientists and engineers who are trained in Africa, most work elsewhere due to the lack of infrastructure and resources”. Thus, the desire to squarely address the deadly Maruca Vitrata attacks on cowpea (popularly called beans) was major inspiration of IAR. At the official public presentation of PBR cowpea, the first ever Nigerian GMO commercially released for public use, the Executive Director of IAR, Prof. I. U Abubakar provided cogent reasons for the Institute commitment to the project. He said “the decision to venture into genetic modification in cowpea breeding was as a result of massive pest infestation that has over the years made cowpea farming difficult as farmers get less for their efforts and even exposed their lives to danger due to chemical spraying to keep the pest away”. Similarly, the acting Director General, National Biotechnology Development Agency (NABDA) Prof. Alex Akpa, said that by the approval, Nigeria has registered her name among the global scientific community as a country capable of finding solutions to her challenges. “After 10 years of laboratory works and on-field trials, Nigerian scientists have developed its first genetically modified food crop, the PBR Cowpea, we are proud to be associated with this noble development” Akpa said

Elimination of the deadly cowpea infestation will increase the national average yield of cowpea from 1.5 to 3.5 tons per hectare thereby facilitating the achievement of national food security. Consequently, the solution will bridge the national deficit of cowpea demand estimated to be more than 500,000 tons in addition to improvement of the national productivity while lowering the food importation. Why the choice of cowpea as the first test crop for R&D of GMO in Nigeria?

Nigeria is recognized globally as the largest Cowpea producer with making of 61 percent of the African production and 58 percent of the world’s production. Incidentally, Nigeria is also ranked as the highest consumer of cowpea. As leguminous crop, cowpea is a food crop that forms the bulk of dishes eaten in the majority of households in Nigeria on a daily basis.  It is highly nutritional with high supply of energy content to the body. Cowpea has a wide range of nutritional benefits to the body. A small quantity of cowpea, about 170 grams could contain as much as 13.22g of protein and more than three times carbohydrates of 35.5g. It is a good source of vegetable protein and can serve as meat to people who cannot afford animal protein or are vegetarians. Cowpea has protection ability against colon cancer as well as reduction of blood cholesterol levels by working as a bulk laxative and bringing down reabsorption of cholesterol-binding bile acids in the colon. It is rich in essential amino acids and B vitamins, with a very high content of the very important folate, which helps prevent neural-tube defects in babies and thus making it one of the preferred delicacies for pregnant women. Additionally, cowpea contains several essential minerals like Copper, Iron, Selenium, Calcium, Zinc, Phosphorus, Potassium and as well as contains little fat, making it suitable for people placed on a low-fat diet.

Cowpea is dominantly grown by smallholder farmers and serves as a primary source of protein for both urban rich and rural poor Nigerians. With serious threat to food insecurity coupled with the results of the Fifth Multiple Indicators Cluster Survey (MICS5) recently released, the choice of cowpea for the development of first Nigerian GMO is certainly dexterous in our national effort to achieve food security. With PBR cowpea, farmers will no longer need to use toxic chemicals on the production and preservation of cowpea, yield will increase, and more cowpea will be available for food to Nigerians and beyond. This is indubitably a highly commendable effort to IAR and her likable collaborators and supporters. While commending the developers of the first Nigerian GMO, it must be stated that GMO connotes dreadful fear to some people. Is GMO safe for human consumption? Is PBR cowpea safe to humanity? (To be continued next week)

    

Food Security: 2019 NiMet Predictions and Socio-economic Implications in Nigeria III

Food Security: 2019 NiMet Predictions and Socio-economic Implications in Nigeria III

follow this link for the online paper version, Neptune Prime

https://go.shr.lc/2SyTCnq

As discussed in the second part of this article, the 2019 NiMet predictions covered rainfall onset, cession, amount and length of growing season. The predictions also covered temperature, dry spell, incidences of malaria, and cerebrospinal meningitis in the selected towns across the nation. On rainfall onset, the country is predicted to experience late onset in most parts of the country. The earliest onset is predicted to be around 7^th March in the coastal and south-south towns. This onset will progressively change northwards to cover the nation with towns at extreme north like Miduguri, Katsina, Potiskum and Nguru expected to have their rainfall onset on 16^th June as the late onset.  On the cession of rainfall, northwestern towns will experience rainfall cession around 29^th September with several towns in the north having their cessions in October. Central and southern states are expected to receive their last rain of the year between late October and mid November. In 2019, the length of growing season in selected towns covering the nation ranges from 109 to 291 days. Consequently, shorter growing season is predicted for most parts of the country such as Sokoto, Gusau, Zaria, Kaduna, Kano, Katsina, Gombe, Bauchi, Lokoja, Enugu and Ikom. Normal growing season is predicted for Shaki, Ado-Ekiti, Ibadan, Ondo, Akure, Benin, Port Harcourt, Calabar, Owerri, Uyo, Umuahia and areas surrounding such places.

Furthermore, the 2019 SRP contains “dry spell” prediction in selected towns across the nation. Dry spell is a situation after crops establishment when rain cease to occur over a period of time and causing the crops to wilt. The term dry spell is commonly used by agriculturalists. The prediction shows that several states in the northeast and northwest will experience dry spell of between ten and twenty one days in the month of June. The notable towns mentioned in the prediction to experience dry spell in the month of June are Bauchi, Dutse, Sokoto, Gusau, Katsina, Binin Kebbi, Maiduguri and their surroundings. Similarly, moderate dry spell for a period of 8 to 15 days are predicted for Bida, Minna, Zaria, Funtua, Lafia, Bauchi, Abuja, Gombe and Yola in June 2019. Additionally, the June dry spell wills spillover to first two weeks in July 2019, which will occur in seven states. Borno is one of the states and the towns predicted to experience dry spell in the state are Jere, Mobbar, Abadam, Kukawa, Guzamala, Gubio, Nganzai and Mongono. In Jigawa state, the are Birniwa, Guri, Sule-Tankarkar, Maigatari and Babura, In Sokoto state, Illela, Gada, Tangaza, Isa, Gudu and their surroundings are among the predicted places. Katsina state has the following towns; Jibia, Kaita, Mai’Adua, Daura, Mashi, Dutsi and their surroundings areas. Yobe is another state mentioned with the following towns; Yusufari, Yunusari, Machina, Karasuwa and the surrounding towns. Kebbi State was also mentioned with towns such as Augie, Arewa Dandi and Argungu. Zamfara is the seventh State with areas in Shinkafi, Zurmi, Maradun, Bakura, and Kaura-Namoda towns. These towns/areas will experience dry spell in the first week of July for 8 to 18 days spilling from the June dry spell. In a similar vain but with less severity, few towns in the southwest will experience sparse rainfall occurrences from 19^th July to 6^th August 2019. The towns are Ilorin, Ibadan, Osogbo, Ibadan, Lagos and their surroundings.

Temperature variation across the country was another parameter predicted by NiMet. The predictions for day and night temperatures were similarly presented. Generally, the predictions show warmer temperature for greater parts of the country than normal. In the month of January 2019, majority of the places are expected to experience normal temperature with exception of few boarder towns located in Sokoto, Kebbi, Niger, Kwara and Oyo states. In these towns, the temperature will be 2⁰C above normal. However, night and day temperatures for the month of February and April 2019 will be higher than the monthly average indicating warmer trend. The country is expected to be warmer- than- normal over most parts of the states except for Nguru, Dutse, Bauchi, Yola, Bidda, Abuja and Ogoja that will be expecting a normal nighttime temperature situation. What are the implications for these predictions? What is the mitigation strategy for the farmers in the affected areas?

The predictions have serious implications to critical sectors that influence national economy and livelihood of Nigerians. Agriculture is the first among these important sectors. The prediction of early rainfall cessation in the northern parts of the country will result in shorter length of growing season for many crops. Therefore, early provision of and accessibility to improved/drought resistant variety (early maturing) seeds of staple crops are recommended. Improved varieties of rice, maize, cassava, sorghum, and millet among other important crops are required to mitigate the effect of short duration of rainy season. NiMet made very important recommendation “governments at all levels are advised to embark on awareness and sensitization of farmers and other stakeholders on Climate Smart Agricultural (CSA) practices such as on-farm water harvesting structures, soil and water conservation practices, land preparation, etc. Farmers are encouraged to make provision for irrigation water during predicted periods of dry spell. Planting and management of more trees around homes and farms are also advised to mitigate adverse climatic conditions in order to have more friendly conducive environments for comfort and better farming activities”

Electrical Power sector is another critical area, which receives direct impact from predicted high temperatures and low rainfall amounts. Power generation, transmission and distribution could be affected by onset, cessation and length of the rainy season. The effects range from uprooting of transmission/distribution poles due to strong storms to lower water level in the hydro-generating stations that result in poor power generation, transmission and distribution. Hence, NiMet recommended, “use of renewable energy such as solar, gas turbine and windmills as alternatives to Hydroelectricity generation”. These areas have high potential for the country and should thus, be explored and exploited.

Transportation sector is another area of concern likely to be affected by the NiMet Predictions. Road transport, aviation, rail and marine are likely to be directly or indirectly influenced by the 2019 SRP. High temperature, rainstorms and violent winds, which characterize the onset of rainfall period, can cause disruptions in road transport, damage road infrastructure, and complicate road maintenance. Poor visibility and heavy storms are characteristics of Nigerian tropical rainy season and greatly affect the aviation subsector.

Health sector will be influenced by the 2019 SRP. The 2019 forecast of temperature and rains across the country is expected to have strong impact on public health. In the first four months of the year, the temperature will be warmer than normal one. The combined effect of high temperature and high wind speed blowing dust would pose serious health challenges to the public. NiMet predicted, “Health challenges related to cases of Asthma, Meningitis, respiratory and sight allergies and cardio-vascular diseases are likely to surge during the period”. Incidence of Malaria attack will range from mild to severe during the 2019 rainy season. High temperature (18°C to 32°C), rainfall and high relative humidity are the major factors increasing the population of Anopheles Mosquitoes, which transmit malaria disease. Precipitation and thick vegetation cover provide conducive environment for the survival of the vector and the development of the mosquito’s parasite responsible for malaria transmission and spread.  NiMet prediction on malaria in the month of April stated “The incidences of malaria and other diseases will be higher in several areas starting from the coast and move to cover the whole nation as the progresses. High vigilance for malaria cases is required over the southern states and parts of the central states of Kogi, Benue, Plateau and Kwara States. Moderate vigilance is required over the central states such as Abuja, parts of Kogi, Kwara, Niger, Nassarawa, Benue, Plateau and Taraba States. Low vigilance is required over the rest of country”.

Still on health, the incidence of cerebrospinal meningitis was also predicted. Dust, wind and humidity are conditions favorable for the emergence of meningitis. NiMet predictions indicated, “Climate conditions are favorable for high vigilance of meningitis cases over Yobe and Zamfara States. Moderate vigilance is required over Kano, Gombe, Borno, Gombe, Katsina, Jigawa, Sokoto and Kebbi and parts of Adamawa and Bauchi States. Including the northern fringes of Kaduna and Niger States. Low vigilance is required over Taraba, Plateau, Abuja, Kwara and parts of Niger, Nassarawa, Adamawa, Bauchi and Kaduna States”

In conclusion, NiMet has successfully discharge her important mandate of presenting the 2019 SRP to the public. The ball is now in the court of the stakeholders to effectively utilize the information available in the 59-page document titled “2019 seasonal rainfall prediction”. The recommendations made in the document are germane and very useful for prevention and mitigation of the adverse effects of weather in the face of current climate change. To be forewarned is to be forearmed.