Biotechnology can boost agriculture production- Director SEZBC

The Director, South East Zonal Office of Biotechnology Centre (SEZBC), Prof James Ogbonna, has said biotechnology can boost agricultural production in the country.
Ogbonna made the remark at the University of Nigeria, Nsukka, on Tuesday during the closing ceremony of a 5-day workshop on molecular biology and biotechnology organised by the centre.
He said the workshop was a capacity building workshop to train students and institution staff who would be capable of developing and implementing research projects that would boost biotechnology.
“In all aspect of agriculture biotechnology is vital in agriculture as it will help to improve agriculture seedling which will result in bumper harvest.
“Low harvest as result of poor seedlings in agriculture discourages farmers and youths from making agriculture as business as well as achieving food security in the country.
“One of the problems is that we do not have enough manpower and equipment to drive biotechnology in agriculture, in health and industry,” he said.
The director said during the workshop the participants were exposed to various practicals on molecular biology and biotechnology as many tertiary institutions in the country lacked required equipment to conduct practical on researches.
“Even though there have been many workshop on molecular biology and biotechnology organized by various institutions most of them did not expose the participants to actual practical because of non-availability of equipment.
“From this workshop, some of the things participants learn include; how to develop topics in various areas of molecular biology and biotechnology, method in isolation as well as quantification and amplification of DNA,” he said.
Ogbonna who is also Deputy Vice-Chancellor Academics in UNN expressed satisfaction on turn-out for the workshop and commitment shown by participants which he noted was an indication that in no distant time the country would have more manpower in biotechnology.
Participants for the workshop were post-graduate students drawn from different tertiary institutions from south east and beyond

Some of the participants at the workshop who spoke to our correspondent expressed satisfaction with South East Zonal Biotechnology Centre for organizing the workshop.
A staff of UNN Plant Department, Mrs. Nneka Egonu, said she learned more from the workshop, “I am grateful to the Centre for affording me the opportunity to gain more knowledge and I hope this kind of workshops continues”, she said.
Mr. Samuel Okoro, from Federal University Ndufu-Alike, Ikwo, (FUNAI) Ebonyi state who could not hide his happiness about the workshop said he learned new things from the workshop.
“The workshop is inspiring; I have never done any practical works in molecular biology but through this workshop. I was able to extract DNA by myself from both blood and organism,” he said.