Global agricultural technology firm bullish on RP

Leading global agricultural technology firm Monsanto recently expressed its optimism on the prospects of the country to attain self-sufficiency in its supply of major staple food products.

Monsanto government and public affairs director Noel Borlongan said the introduction of modern agricultural technology, plus strong government support for the agricultural sector, augur well for the country’s food sufficiency program.

Monsanto, a multibillion-dollar company with headquarters in St. Louis, Missouri, has been in the Philippines for 30 years now. They introduced a hybrid corn variety in the country, which – together with other hybrids – replaced most low-yielding and pest-prone open-pollinated varieties.

Borlongan said Monsanto is currently conducting field tests for a new transgenic corn varied called Bt-corn. He added that based on the wet season trial results, Bt-corn could increase average farm yield by 10 to 40 percent.

Bt-corn has been planted in 10 test sites all over the country. The tests are expected to be completed by the middle of this year, Borlongan said.

The Bt-corn variety has already been successfully commercialized in other countries including Canada, Argentina and the US. The variety, besides its high-yield, also effectively controls corn borers. Corn borers are the biggest enemies of corn plants. Monsanto’s modern biotechnological research enabled the development of this pest-resistant variety seen as a major boost to local environmental protection.

Borlongan explained that the introduction of the Bt variety could dramatically improve the performance by 10 to 40 percent. This significant increase could be achieved and will radically reduce pesticide application, he pointed out.

Borlongan said that on the average, the Philippines imports 300,000 to 500,000 metric tons of corn annually. Initial results from Monsanto trials, both from the limited field trial and the multi-location trials point to the potential for significant increases in yields of yellow corn and reduce dependence on importation.