Biotech corn gains wide support

The recent approval by the Bureau of Plant Industry (BPI) of the guidelines for the domestic propagation of a high-yielding pest-resistant corn variety continued to gain wide multisectoral support and threats by some groups to prevent local farmers from gaining access to the crop.

The variety, known as Bt corn, recently passed the rigid scrutiny of several government agencies and scientist groups under the supervision of the National Commission on Biosafety of the Philippines. The move was backed by various scientists’ organizations, business associations, church leaders and farmers groups.

Leading Filipino scientist Leonardo Gonzales, chairman and president of Sikap Foundation said Bt corn "is relatively superior over non-Bt corn in yield, cost, profit and nutritional food security.’

Bt corn is a hybrid corn variety that has been genetically-engineered to become more resistant to the Asiatic corn borer, the primary plague hounding the local corn sector.

Extensive field tests in the Philippines showed that Bt corn yields were far higher by an average of 10 to 38 percent than conventional hybrids and produces superior grain quality as compared to its counterpart.

Gonzales also reported that nearly nine out of 10 corn farmers said they are aware of and are wiling to buy Bt corn seeds once these are available in the market. "The major reasons cited were high yields and less use of pesticides," Gonzales explained.

Meanwhile, the Philippine Maize Federation Inc. (PMFI) recently expressed its support for the local propagation of Bt corn.

The PMFI, the country’s largest organization of corn farmers, said Arroyo’s move has set the stage for the acceleration of agricultural development in the country. PMFI president Rod Bioco said its members believe "biotechnology offers the country a potent tool for addressing food security and environmental concerns in the face of declining farm productivity, dwindling agricultural area, deteriorating land quality and rising poverty."

The group also hailed the development of biotech corn with natural high resistance to pests, saying "the reduced application of insecticides will ensure higher farmer earnings while preserving the environment." They also cited the hazards posed by insecticides on the health of corn farmers.

Influential businessmen from the Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao (ARMM) recently expressed their strong support of the government’s policy on the use of biotechnology to boost local agriculture.

In a resolution passed during the first ARMM Business Congress held in Cotabato City, the businessmen said biotechnology "offers developing countries like the Philippines an excellent tool for addressing food security."

They also cited the role of biotechnology in increasing farm yields "in the face of declining farm productivity, decreasing agricultural area, deteriorating land quality, galloping population growth and rising rural poverty."

The ARMM businessmen’s endorsement of the application of biotechnology in agriculture followed a similar resolution from the Philippine Chamber of Commerce and Industry and Filipino scientists. Support has similarly been expressed by several leaders of the Roman Catholic Church in the Philippines.

ARMM Business Council chairman Datu Haron U. Bandila said they will urge President Arroyo "to study the commercialization of agricultural products derived from biotechnology. He noted that the country "‘has the appropriate regulatory set-up to ensure that biotechnology products are safe even for human consumption."

Bandila also expressed hope that biotechnology could help the country attain global competitiveness.

"Biotechnology research and product commercialization can help ensure that the country can compete in the free-trade scenario of the world economy," Bandila said.

Political leaders, including opposition Sen. Edgardo Angara, Sen. Ramon Magsaysay Jr., Isabela Gov. Faustino Dy Jr. and Isabela Rep. Rodolfo Albano have also openly backed the adoption of agricultural biotechnology.

Other Asian countries, including China, Japan, Taiwan and Indonesia have taken steps toward the application of biotechnology in their respective agricultural programs.