Acting Director General of the National Agency for the Development of Biotechnology (NABDA), Professor Alex Akpa, said scientists are conducting research to develop genetically modified tomatoes (GM Tomato) to eliminate losses after harvesting.
This step became necessary after the ongoing losses that farmers face in transporting their products from the farm to the market due to the lack of storage space.
This country produces a lot of tomatoes from the Kano axis to Kaduna, Zamfar, but before the farmers deliver these tomatoes to Lagos, Ibadan or Port Harcourt, they lose 35 to 40% of the output due to lack of storage.
Speaking recently in Abuja, Professor Akpa said a study on the production of GM tomatoes is being carried out in collaboration with the International Institute for Tropical Agriculture (IITA).
Direct speech: “Our scientists are working on the creation of BT tomatoes to deal with these losses after harvesting, so that farmers can transport tomatoes over long distances without losing their produce. This study is being conducted in collaboration with the International Institute for Tropical Agriculture (IITA), Ibadan. ”
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