The US launched the programme through its overseas arm of the United States Department of Agriculture, the Foreign Agricultural Service (FAS) and partner with Nigeria’s National Biotechnology Development Agency on Thursday.
The United States authorities in conjunction with the Nigerian government have inaugurated the first biotech food crop, biotech cowpea to boost food security and improve nutrition in Nigeria.
The US launched the programme through its overseas arm of the United States Department of Agriculture, the Foreign Agricultural Service (FAS) and partner with Nigeria’s National Biotechnology Development Agency on Thursday.
According to a statement, the FAS in an event in Lagos titled, ‘Eating is Believing’, said the Biotech cowpea would strengthen the security of the new bean and stimulate the nutritional facts and health benefits of the transgenic bean.
At the event, Counselor for Agricultural Affairs, US Mission Nigeria, Gerald Smith, affirmed that the programme launched is a nutrition outreach to increase consumption of Bt cowpea, Nigeria’s first biotech food crop.
The statement further stated, “The advocacy event launched in Lagos with the support of agricultural experts, food scientists and nutritionists, featured nutrition education and a live sensory evaluation of Bt cowpea that had catering professionals cook the crop in various forms such as bean cake (akara), bean pudding (moimoi) and beans.”
Smith also said, “the new bean will improve nutrition and food security across Nigeria, noting that ‘Eating is Believing” will reinforce the safety of the new bean and promote the nutritional facts and health benefits of the transgenic bean.”
“The commercialisation of the transgenic bean underscores that extensive food safety studies were conducted to demonstrate that it is safe for human consumption,” Smith stated.
Smith added that the outreach campaign is a community engagement activity that seeks to boost the demand for Bt cowpea and healthy bean-based food products.
“The live evaluation addressed critical issues about taste and preference and the eventual planting of Bt cowpea by smallholder farmers will contribute to Nigeria’s production goals, thereby serving as a model for other countries across sub-Saharan Africa,” Smith noted.