Food industry backs government on biotech

The country’s premiere organization of veterinarians working in the animal feed industry recently expressed its support for the government’s adoption of agricultural biotechnology as an anchor of its strategy for food security and sufficiency.

The Philippine College of Veterinary Feed Practitioners (PCVFP) told Bureau of Plant Industry (BPI) Director Blo Umpar Adiong that the group believes the use of biotechnology "will provide opportunities and options to small farmers, as well as to the agriculture and food industries to enhance product yield and quality by reducing the use of insecticides in farms."

Through biotechnology, scientists have been able to develop plant varieties with natural high resistance to pests and, therefore, drastically reduce or eliminate the need to apply toxic chemical insecticides.

Among these varieties are biotech cotton, corn and soya which are extensively grown in the United States, Latin America, Canada and South Africa. India has also adopted biotech cotton.

The endorsement by the PCVFP followed the recent approval by the BPI of the domestic propagation of the high-yielding Bt Corn variety. The crop has a natural resistance to the deadly Asiatic Corn Borer which has consistently plagued the country’s corn farms, particularly those in Mindanao.

The PCVFP joined the Business Council of the Autonomous Region of Muslim Mindanao, the Philippine Scientific Community, the Philippine Association of Broiler Integrators, the National Federation of Hog Farmers Inc., and the Philippine Maize Federation Inc. (PMFI) in supporting the domestic propagation of Bt Corn. The PMFI is the largest organization of corn farmers in the country.

According to PCVFP president Dr. Tomas Lazaro II, the group also recognizes the role of biotechnology in the acceleration of agricultural development and enhancement of farm productivity. The local livestock industry is the largest market for Philippine corn.

"The policy is consistent with our vision of developing a livestock and poultry industry that is profitable for the farmer and whose products are safe for human consumption," Lazaro said.

He added that the country has an appropriate regulatory set up to address the safety and health aspects of biotechnology products, including genetically modified food.

The approval for the commercial availability of Bt Corn followed a five-year process which included farm trials and the rigid evaluation by various government agencies and independent scientists.