Keep food issue out of politics, says BPI head

Bureau of Plant Industry Director Blo Umpar Adiong recently called on all sectors to support the propagation of Bt corn and unite behind President Arroyo’s efforts to bring the country closer to food sufficiency and security through biotechnology "by keeping the food issue out of politics" as this will only derail the country’s bid to achieve food security.

BPI Director Blo Umpar Adiong, Al Haj, issued the call in the wake of protest actions against biotechnology.

Greenpeace and other non-governmental organizations had earlier launched a hunger strike to pressure the government to rescind the commercialization of Bt corn in the country.

Adiong reiterated that "there is no evidence in the world that Bt corn has caused poisoning or death or degradation of the environment." The local scientific community said biotech crops "have undergone and passed rigid food and safety tests, and are as safe as any conventionally bred crop and pose no additional threat to humans and the environment".

Adiong also added that "agriculture in developing countries is now shifting from being an input-based sector to a technology-based industry." He said that "Bt corn propagation is vital to the Philippines as this can help the country regain its status as a net exporter of staple agricultural products".

He cited the success of Masagana 99, a hybrid rice program implemented by the late former executive secretary Rafael Salas in the 1970s. The program resulted in the exportation of rice by the Philippines during that decade.

Adiong was part of the so-called group of "Salas boys" while he was a Malacañang technical assistant for Muslim Affairs in the 1960s.

The BPI director, a 1982 TOYM awardee for regional development and the first Muslim administrator of the Southern Philippines Development Authority, urged all sectors "to set aside politics and help the President implement her food security strategy". Arroyo earlier adopted biotechnology as a means to help the country achieve food sufficiency.

Biotechnology enables the development of seeds that are naturally highly resistant to specific diseases and pests like the Asian corn borer, the most prevalent pest in local corn farms. The natural resistance results in fewer requirements for chemicals such as insecticides.

Adiong said the BPI has activated the National Seed Industry Council, which now has some 17 laboratories all over the country. The facilities enable farmers to gain new knowledge on farm techniques and farm economics.

The BPI has also implemented the "Socio-Economic Enhancement Development" (SEED) Model farm in 34 areas in the country, which trains "farmers to optimize the use of their farmlands", he added.