US scientists back biotechnology

American scientists said recently "dramatic advances are required in food production, distribution and access" if the world is going to meet these needs.

The statement was issued by the prestigious US National Academy of Sciences, which called attention to the fact that some "800 million people or 18 percent of the population of the developing world do not have access to sufficient food to meet their needs."

The US scientists said the advances in food production would come from the advantages offered by genetically modified technologies or biotechnology.

The US now grows 68 percent of the world’s total biotechnology processed crop acres. Biotech crops now account for 52 percent of the corn, soy, cotton and canola acreage in the US.

"Agricultural biotechnology is one tool that holds great promise for alleviating hunger and poverty," the NAS said.

The world’s population is expected to grow from the current estimate of six billion to about eight billion by 2030.

"Feeding all of these people and eliminating hunger will require advances in food production and distribution that enhance food supply without damaging the environment," the NAS said.

Environment friendly

The NAS particularly noted that studies have shown that the use of biotechnology in agriculture and food production is a major step towards protecting the environment.

"Farmers have been battling pests for centuries, using everything from conventional plant-breeding techniques to chemicals such as pesticides," the NAS said.

Due to environmental and health concerns, however, the NAS said the development of new chemical treatments has declined in recent years.

"Scientists are now using the tools of advanced molecular biology to endow plants with genes that help them resist pests," the NAS reported.

They added that although breeding practices have been used for years to develop crops with desirable traits, scientists can now pinpoint genes from similar species — or from even unrelated organisms — and transfer those protective genes into crops.

In the Philippines, the government has facilitated the field testing of a variety of corn that is naturally resistant to the corn borer — the crop’s long-time enemy. Reports from the field indicate that the variety, known as Yieldgard, could increase local corn farm harvests up to as much as 30 percent with significantly less insecticide application.

Several local government oficials, including Isabela Governor Faustino Dy Jr. have openly supported the use of the variety in a bid to decrease the country’s dependence on imported corn feeds for local livestock. Church leaders have, likewise, backed continuing local research on biotechnology applications to agriculture.

Anti-biotech groups

The NAS noted that the opposition mounted by some groups against the development and application of biotechnology "may curtail its widespread use."

The savants particularly raised concern over the delay that the groups could pose to the use of biotechnology to combat world hunger.

"Malnutrition plays a significant role in half the nearly 12 million deaths each year of Third World children under five years old,’ the NAS said.

The scientists pointed out that "growing enough staple crops such as corn, rice, wheat, yams and potatoes, without further expanding the amount of land that must be cultivated will require substantial increases in yields per hectare."

Europe, which hosts most of the world’s insecticide manufacturers, still bans the planting of biotech seeds.

In the Philippines, some nongovernmental organizations (NGOs) have warned local governments against allowing the field-testing of biotech corn crops. In some areas in Mindanao, the groups claimed responsibility for the uprooting and destruction of these trial farms.

In Isabela, Dy warned groups against any move to damage the trial farms in his province. Dy advised the groups to "wait until all tests are completed." He said he wants Isabela farmers "to have a choice and the final say on what type of crops they will plant."

"But how can they have a choice when they are not allowed to see the results of the use of biotech crops," Dy said.

Growing use

The US scientists, however, said the use of biotechnology in agriculture will continue to grow despite the sporadic opposition to its development.

Clive James, chairman of the International Service for the Acquisition of Agri-Biotech Applications (ISAAA), predicts growth in global acreage of genetically modified crops in 2002.

"As growers in developing nations gain access to these crops and see the benefits demonstrated on their farms through higher yields, lower input costs and less dependency on conventional pesticides — leading to more sustainable agriculture — support for biotechnology will continue to increase," James said.