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The amount of money Nigeria spends just to import beans every year has been revealed and it will quite surprise you. 
Beans
According to Punch Metro, the Federal Government has revealed that
despite being the number one producer of beans in the world, Nigeria
spends N16bn annually to import the produce from neighbouring countries.
Speaking at a training for journalists organised by the Open Forum
for Agricultural Biotechnology in Africa in Abuja on Thursday, Permanent
Secretary in the Ministry of Science and Technology, Mr Bitrus Bako,
said that the recent certification of environmental safety of
genetically modified beans would help to bridge the gap in production.
Bako, who was represented by Director, Special Duties, Mr James
Sule, gave the assurance that the quality of genetically modified beans
expected to be released in 2020 would be safe, nutritious, harmless and
insect free.
The National Biosafety Management Agency had recently approved the
environmental release of pod bearer resistant beans in the country. This
is expected to be followed with a commercial release which would mark
the release of the crop for sale and consumption.
Bako said, “Prior to the release, cowpea (beans) production has
been achieved only through extensive applications of pesticides aimed,
in part, at battling the devastating bean pod borer. Farmers were forced
to spend money on eight or more pesticide applications at each planting
cycle. Yet, they still lose 80 per cent of their yields to the
voracious insects.
“It may interest you to note that Nigeria is the number one
producer of cowpea globally yet there is consumption deficit of half a
million tonnes, prompting imports from neighbouring countries like
Cameroon and Burkina Faso which is estimated to cost N16bn annually.
“With BT cowpea, the gap in production will be bridged and Nigeria will save N16bn on its import.”
The permanent secretary also expressed confidence that the recent
approval of genetically modified cotton would revolutionise the
industrial and agricultural sector.
He said that the decline in cotton production in the country
impacted negatively on the textile industries leading to the comatose
state of Nigeria’s cotton mills and other supporting businesses.
In his presentation, Director General of the National Biotechnology
Development Agency, Prof Alex Akpa, listed the steps the country had
taken to realise the potential of biotechnology in the country and
expressed confidence that Nigeria would soon begin to reap the benefits
of its investment in the sector.
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