FG Denies Importing Genetically Modified Rice
At a news conference on Wednesday in Abuja, The Director-General of the National Biosafety Management Agency, Rufus Ebegba, disclosed that The Federal Government has denied that it imported and flooded Nigeria’s markets with Genetically Modified rice,
and that there was no iota of truth in the report. He noted that no GM rice had either been imported or released officially into the country, and according to him, no such rice has been commercially released anywhere in the world.
He also said that the Federal Government had banned the importation of rice and there was no indication that the ban had been lifted, and he described the online report as a falsehood and imagination of the writer, who “probably used a fake name.”, adding that the report was intended to cause unnecessary panic and called on Nigerians to disregard it.
The director-general also urged them to join hands with the government to ensure safety in the practice of modern biotechnology in the country in line with global best practices, saying that NBMA was capable of regulating all GMO products in Nigeria and promised that the agency would not compromise on its mandate.
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