NGO backs DA stand on Bt corn

The Philippine Seed Industry Association (PSIA) backed yesterday the Department of Agriculture’s unwavering stand on the commercial production of genetically-modifed corn in the country.

PSIA said that before the propagation of (Bacillus thurgiensis) Bt corn was allowed, it had undergone a very strict, science-based risk assessment and evaluation by numerous regulatory agencies and independent scientists.

In a statement, PSIA said the country has an appropriate framework to address the biosafety and health aspects of plant products through the DA’s administrative order on regulations for plants derived from modern biotechnology.

PSIA president Dante M. Balbas and the member-companies approved the position of the association during the height of the intense pressure on the government by Greenpeace, SEARICE, and other NGOs.

So far, groups opposing the commercial production of Bt corn, have not presented any science-based evidence that the genetically modified corn technology is harmful.

BT corn, a genetically modified organism (GMO), has been commercially produced for more than five years in the United States, Canada, and Japan, among others.

Data from the International Service for the Acquisition of Agri-biotech Applications (ISAAA) reported an estimated 58.7 million hectares GMO crops planted worldwide in 2002.

In the Philippines, however, genetically modified seed propagation was approved last December after more than five years of testing under the supervision of the National Committee on Biosafety of the Philippines (NCBP) and Bureau of Plant Industry (BPI).

The crop is resistant to the Asiatic corn borer, the most prevalent corn pest in the country.

The BPI, Bureau of Agricultural Food and Product Standards, Bureau of Animal Industry, Fertilizer and Pesticide Authority, and a scientific and technical review panel composed of scientists in various fields, evaluated the application of Monsanto Philippines – the first company to be granted a license to commercially produce Bt corn.

The PSIA said the government acted appropriately in pursuing the advancement of the safe and responsible use of modern biotechnology for the agriculture sector’s improvement.

The PSIA is a non-profit organization composed of vegetable and corn seed companies.