The Muslim community has been urged to disregard some of the health and religious concerns expressed against genetically modified crops.
Professor Abdullahi Mustapha, Director-General/CEO of the National Biotechnology Research and Development Agency (NABDA), made this appeal during a sensitization workshop on GMOs and their products for the Islamic community in Abuja.
"We recognize that Islamic teaching demands that what we consume be both halal and tayyib--wholesome, pure and free from harm. It is our shared responsibility to ensure that any agricultural biotechnology product we embrace aligns fully with these higher objectives of Sharīah, protecting life, health and dignity," he said.
The event brought together leading scientists and regulators to explain the science behind GMOs, including addressing some of the concerns expressed about their safety.
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Citing examples of drought-tolerant crops, vitamin-enhanced staples, and other innovations, Professor Mustapha stated that they were "designed to bolster yields, improve nutrition, and mitigate the worst effects of an increasingly unpredictable climate."
Professor Mohammad Faguji Ishiyaku, a renowned cowpea breeder from the Ahmadu Bello University Zaria, who guided the clerics through various stages of GMO development, affirmed that as a Muslim, he would not undertake the development of a crop that had the potential to harm Muslims in the country.
The breeder added that speculations about these crops causing health problems are mostly motivated by market-driven intentions rather than scientific data.
Earlier, Dr. Rose Maxwell Gidado, Director of Agricultural Biotechnology at the National Biotechnology Research and Development Agency, stated that "When genetic engineering results in reduced pesticide dependence, we have less pesticide residues in foods, we reduce pesticide leaching into groundwater, and we minimize farm worker exposure to hazardous products."
She added that "researchers realized that if a crop plant is genetically engineered to be resistant to a broad-spectrum herbicide, weed management could be simplified and safer chemicals could be used. It is often argued that such GE varieties reduce soil erosion because they make the adoption of soil-conserving practices such as 'no-till' easier."
Dr. Ehirim Bernard, Program Officer, Stewardship, African Agricultural Technological Foundation, stated that "Bt proteins have a long history of safety as far back as the 1950s without any documented human harm," adding that Bt maize has been consumed since 1996.
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He also mentioned that "drought-tolerant maize has been in the market for over a decade, with no toxicity or allergenicity concerns reported," noting that "many Bt crops (e.g. maize, cotton, cowpea) were commercialized since 1998. Bioinformatic analysis on cry proteins shows no amino acid similarities to known allergens."
