Quick Take
A Facebook user, Sahabi M. Ashiru Lere from Kaduna State, has been spreading false claims in Hausa language that people should avoid consuming a hybrid tela maize and one springo macaroni, which, according to the post, cause a serious skin infection and pose a threat to life.
Verdict: The claim being spread by the Facebook user is misleading.
What to know
The name ‘TELA’ is derived from ‘TUTELA,’ a Latin word that means “Protection.”
Detailed report
Tela Hybrid Maize is a transgenic product of agricultural technology targeted at improving food security in sub-Saharan Africa and is supported by the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation and the United States Agency for International Development.
The project was initiated to address issues leading to substantial yield losses in maize production in the sub-Saharan African region following the decline and huge losses triggered by the fall of armyworms and pests.
Research by the Department for Internationadl Development (DFID) shows that the fall of these armyworms and pests usually destroys about 20 million metric tonnes of maize in Africa annually, and the estimated losses are between $2,481 million and $6,187 million.
However, this represents a range of 21%–53% of the annual averaged production of maize over a three-year period in these countries in about twelve producing states, and such an amount of loss is heavy, as it is enough to feed 100 million people.
Nigeria is involved in hybrid tela maize projects.
Tela Maize is approved by the Nigerian government, according to the National Biosafety Management Agency.
The National Biosafety Management Agency, a regulatory body and agency of the Nigerian government, has confirmed the approval of “Tela Maize” in the country.
According to the agency, the country approved tela maize based on scientific evidence, which indicates that it poses no harmful or negative effects on consumers, farmers, or the environment as it’s also being cultivated naturally.
Also, on January 11, 2024, the Institute for Agricultural Research at Ahmadu Bello University Zaria announced a milestone achievement. In a publication, the institution discloses that “The National Committee on Naming, Registration, and Release of Crop Varieties, Livestock Breeds, and Fisheries granted commercial registration and released four transgenic maize hybrids known as TELA Maize.”
However, the project, a collaboration between public and private stakeholders, is spearheaded by the African Agricultural Technology Foundation (AATF) and spans seven African countries: Ethiopia, Kenya, Mozambique, Nigeria, South Africa, Tanzania, and Uganda.
Therefore, the claim by the Facebook user is misleading, as confirmed by the Nigerian authorities that TELA MAIZE poses no harmful or negative effects on consumers, farmers, or the environment as it’s also being cultivated naturally.
LIKE & FOLLOW US ON FACEBOOK, X, INSTAGRAM, LINKEDIN & YOUTUBE
