The Director-General, National Agricultural Seeds Council (NASC), Dr. Philip Olusegun Ojo, has refuted the speculations that the Plan Variety Protection bill currently before President Muhammandu Buhari has nothing to do with advancement Genetically Modified Organism (GMOs) in Nigeria.
Speaking during a virtual Media Dialogue organized by the National Agricultural Seeds Council (NASC) in partnership with Wandieville on Tuesday with the theme: Why Nigeria needs the Plant Variety Protection (PVP) Law, said there are laws and state agencies who has been given this responsibility and the PVP has nothing to do with that.
According to Dr. Ojo, the PVP Bill is in no way against the right of farmers to use their farm saved seeds but that it however, provides more and better choices for they Farmers to choose from protected varieties with better yield and superior characteristics as against non-protected verities.
I have listened to non-state actors try so much to unintelligently link this bill to GMO or the subversion of Farmers right. I want to state categorically, that this bill has nothing to do with the advancement of GMO in Nigeria. There are laws and state agencies who has been given this responsibility and the PVP has nothing to do with that.
On Farmers Right: The PVP is in no way against the right of farmers to use their farm saved seeds. However, the PVP will provide more and better choices for they Farmers. I wish to also state that most of the varieties we have in circulation today may not meet the criteria for protection as a basic requirement of the PVP is novelty.
