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Production areas for transgenic (GM) corn in the Philippines have increased by as much as 7,607 percent in the past two decades, a report by the Global Agricultural Information Network (Gain) showed.
The agency, which operates under the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA), said this “indicates a greater acceptance and awareness of farmers about the safety and benefits of using GMO corn.”
From 10,769 hectares (ha) in 2013, the land dedicated to transgenic corn has grown exponentially to 834,617 ha this year. It was in 2002 that the government allowed commercial production of Bacillus thuringiensis (Bt) maize, the first genetically modified crop to obtain permission.
The USDA quoted a GE expert as saying that the use of GM corn could also delay the spread of the fall armyworm infestation, which the Department of Agriculture said had already destroyed about 11,000 ha of corn farms in 57 provinces.
But Gain’s report also emphasized that the use of counterfeit transgenic seeds had continued to proliferate in the country, which could prove detrimental to the corn and seed industries.
“Although they are cheaper, they are of inferior quality and are sold without the proper management measures,” says Gain’s report.
He estimated that around 10 percent of the transgenic seeds sold in the domestic market are counterfeit, and that “the area of transgenic corn would be greater if the use of counterfeit transgenic seeds were included.”
According to the Bureau of Plant Industry, more than 70 percent of GMO corn is grown in Luzon, while 24 percent is grown in Mindanao. The remaining 7 percent is grown in the Visayas.
While lawsuits have been filed to stop the commercialization of certain GM crops due to safety concerns, the DA, as well as the Department of Science and Technology, have been open to the use of GM crops.
In fact, last year the DA affirmed the safety of golden rice – another transgenic crop – for direct use as food, feed or processing.
Earlier this year, the House Science and Technology Committee also approved a bill that seeks to streamline the approval process for biotech products.
The bill, known as the Modern Biotechnology Law, is touted as a means of increasing farmers’ yields and incomes, which are often duplicated by rudimentary practices and climate change.
As such, the USDA projected that policies geared towards the development and use of biotechnology in the country could be completed in 2021.
He added that next year may also be the “debut of regulatory frameworks for genetically modified animals and for new breeding techniques (eg gene editing).” INQ
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