Monsanto cites RP food security policy

Leading agricultural research firm Monsanto recently lauded the firm implementation of modern agricultural policies by the Arroyo administration, saying this "augurs well for the nation’s food sufficiency and security bid."

Noel Borlongan, Monsanto public affairs director and spokesman in the Philippines, said the adoption of agricultural technology as the anchor of the country’s food security policy has already provided concrete benefits both to the producer and consumer sectors.

Borlongan noted that the use of modern agriculture technology was a major factor in the continuing increase in farm productivity despite hazards posed by Philippine climatic factors and traditional plant pests. Corn production registered a hefty production expansion of 17 percent in 2004.

He cited assurances by the Department of Science and Technology that the use of biotechnology-processed seeds offer higher yields for local farmers, even as the Philippine government reiterated its position that such seed varieties are safe.

Borlongan also hailed statements by the Department of Agriculture (DA) underscoring that agriculture biotechnology is one of the key policy pillars of the government. He also cited DA initiatives to set up an agriculture technology exchange to achieve food security and political stability in the Asia-Pacific region in cooperation with the United States, Iran, Thailand and Vietnam.

"It is evident that the Arroyo government has a clear direction in the quest for greater food security," Borlongan added.

"The adoption of modern agriculture technology by the government is definitely a good response to the dwindling size and productivity of the country’s farm lands," Borlongan pointed out.

It is also an answer to the need to raise the income of farmers and reduce the cost of farm inputs, Borlongan said. The DOST had earlier noted that the use of chemical pesticides will eventually decrease following successful tests and subsequent cultivation of disease-resistant biotechnology-processed corn varieties.

Borlongan said Monsanto "is fully committed to support the government’s bid to increase harvests, raise farm productivity and improve the income of farmers."

"We are also solidly behind the government’s bid to preserve the environment even as it raises the production of farms," he underscored.

Borlongan said the use of biotechnology-processed seed varieties is a major boost to environment protection and preservation since they drastically reduce the need for chemical pesticide application.

These seed varieties are naturally resistant to major plant pests and diseases, he explained. He added that toxins from chemicals tend to damage the soil and contaminate the environment.

Borlongan also lauded the support of the local scientific community for the government’s food security policies and programs. He noted that "Filipino scientists have formed a strong phalanx against the sustained scare campaign against the use of modern agriculture technology in Philippine farms."