Experts elated over RP biotech performance

TOP government scientists say that the Philippines now ranks No.14 among mega-countries producing biotech products.

In an executive summary entitled: Global Status of Commercialized Biotech/GM Crops 2004 published by the International Service for the Acquisition of Agri-biotech Applications (ISAAA), countries that grow biotech crops on 50,000 hectares or more are classified as biotech mega-countries.

The Philippines, along with Paraguay, Spain, and Mexico joined the mega-country group for the first time in 2004, reflecting a 40 percent increase in the number of mega-countries that produce biotech crops.

Dr. Benigno Peczon, president and chief executive officer of the Biotechnology Coalition of the Philippines (BCP) has lauded the country’s performance in producing agricultural biotech products.

Peczon noted that in spite of the early doubts placed on the viability and propriety of using biotechnology products, farmers eventually believed in scientific tests and concluded that they would earn more by producing crops like the Bacillus thuringiensis (Bt) corn and Bt cotton.

“By overcoming their worst fears, Filipino farmers eventually relied on the results of field tests, which showed that Bt corn had higher resistance to the Asiatic corn borer, the single best reason why the carcinogen aflatoxin saddles local corn varieties,” Peczon said. “Farmers found out that Bt corn had higher yields and are more nutritious than the traditional; varieties, thus ensuring them better incomes and larger markets.”

Dr. Sturnina Halos, head of the Department of Agriculture-Biotechnology Advisory Unit (DA-BAT) said that the country’s biosafety regulatory system which is being strictly enforced by the National Committee on Biosafety of the Philippines (NCBP) has greatly contributed to the success of the biotech program in the country because of the very stringent processes it enforces as compared to its European and ASEAN counterparts.

She said the country’s regulatory system has become a model regulatory system for ASEAN-member countries who are now emerging biotechnology producers.

“We are happy that the Philippines is now a biotech-producing mega-country,” Halos said. “We have always been doing risk assessments on any biotechnology or genetically modified plants and products before they are allowed to be commercialized so we think that our strict regulatory system is a big factor in attaining this level of accomplishment and international recognition.”

Halos said that biotech producers are required to show data that their plants or products are safe to eat, safe to feed the animals, and harmless to the environment.

“This is required to whoever would like to work with GM crops should come up with a scientific evidences that their products are safe,” she said.

Halos also said that GM producers in the country are required to ensure that their plants will not adversely affect the beneficial population of the insect world.

Peczon and Halos said that they have been heartened by additional reports about religious leaders advocating the use of biotechnology products, thus paving the way for their utilization by farmers of various religious persuasions.

The two scientists said that since 2003, when Bt corn was approved for field testing in South Cotabato, inquiries have risen about their availability and applicability to Philippine agricultural conditions and more and more farmers are now being won over to the side of biotechnology.

They added that the shift to agricultural biotechnological products is a great boost to the country’s campaign to ensure long-term food security and a reduction of costly importations of food products that could be grown in the Philippines.

Another factor that has boosted the use of biotechnology products in the country is their minimal use of costly, imported pesticides.

The 14 mega-countries, in descending order of hectarage of biotech crops, are: USA with 47.6 million has., followed by Argentina with 16.2 million has, Canada 5.4 million has, Brazil 5.0 million has, China 3.7 million has., Paraguay with 1.2 million has., and reporting biotech crops for the first time in 2004, India 0.5 million has., South Africa 0.5 million has., Uruguay 0.3 million has., Australia 0.2 million has, Romania 0.1 million has., Mexico 0.1 million has., Spain 0.1 million has., and the Philippines 0.1 million has.

The ISAAA report also cited Germany, Columbia and Honduras as potential upcoming members of biotech mega-countries. The three countries should be able to join the elite group of countries as soon as each country reaches the required 0.1 million hectarage for biotech crops.