DAVAO CITY – Monsanto Philippines raised alarm on the continued proliferation of illegal Biotech corn or Bt corn seeds in the country that poses real danger to biotechnology in three years.
This was raised by Dr. Gabriel Romero, the Regulatory Policy and Scientific Affairs Lead of Monsanto Philippines, during the Joint Media Forum of the Publishers Association of the Philippines, Inc (PAPI) and Monsanto Philippines on Wednesday at the Marco Polo Hotel.
He said the absence of refuge in counterfeit seeds puts the Bt technology at risk of resistance development. The “refuge system” is an important requirement to keep pests such as corn borer from becoming resistant to Bt corn.
Romero said the proliferation of illegal seeds threatens the corn industry in the Philippines. The two kinds of illegal seeds discreetly sold in the market are named ukay-ukay seeds and sige-sige seeds, Romero bared
According to Romero, companies selling spurious or counterfeit seeds increased over the years. In 2012, he said, there was only one company selling counterfeit seeds and the number increased to seven in 2017 with prices almost half of the real Bt corn seeds.
Romero said that more than 10 percent of the country’s Bt corn seeds are produced illegally by unauthorized companies especially in Mindanao. These seeds are produced with BT and RR traits but are sold in the market as “conventional seeds”.
Citing a survery on 145 farmers using illegal seeds, Romero said that 32 percent of the total number of users would use such seeds again while 68 percent would no longer use them because it resulted in low yield, corns have small grain and susceptible to pests.
The complaint on the presence of illegal seeds in the market was first raised to the Bureau of Plant Industry, which took action by issuing a memo to all corn seed companies in June 2014 requiring them to secure biosafety permit to all genetically-modified corn seeds.
But some companies have continued to sell counterfeit seeds. If such activity continues and farmers still patronized counterfeit seeds, Romero warned that corn production would drop.
This would also lead to importation of corn feeds given the country’s booming livestock industry. This would also compromise the biotechnology in the country.
Romero highlighted the promises of biotech in agriculture. This speeds up breeding processes and efficiency, develops pest- and disease-resistant crops; combats salinity/drought problems of agriculture; enhances the nutritional quality of food; increases varieties; reduces inputs and production costs, thereby increasing farmer’s profit.
With this development, Romero urged for the support of the media and the government to help address the proliferation of illegal Bt corn seeds.
“Adulterated seeds or fake seeds directly affect our farmers. The seeds may be low-priced but they are also of low-quality. Worse, they come out without proper stewardship measures, and thereby threaten GM technology and farmer’s livelihood,” he stressed.
Monsanto Philippines, which is the propagator of Bt corn, appealed to the regulators to help address the issue. Currently, the corn area in the country has reached 2.5 million hectares.
Charina Garrido-Ocampo, Corporate Affairs Lead of Monsanto Philippines, said Bt corn is considered a major strategic development in agricultural biotechnology. It is the first major transgenic food and feed crop commercialized in Asia.
During the same forum, Ocampo said Monsanto has continued promoting modern agriculture to address the country’s food challenges and environmental sustainability.
“Agricultural biotechnology can help us achieve food security. It is not a silver bullet which can solve all food-related concerns, including the lack of food, but it offers a solution which we should be open to,” Ocampo said.
Ocampo, however, voiced concern that agricultural biotechnology continues to face challenges such as local bans in Bt because of support for organic farming; resurgent and well-resourced anti-biotech campaign; and, inconsistent government policy from national, local, legislative and judiciary.
She said there is still a need for continuing education-information, institutional strengthening at national and local levels, and multi-stakeholder partnership.
During the three-day Training-Writeshop on Communicating Trends and Innovations in ASEAN Agriculture for Regional Media in SEARCA, UPLB, the International Service for the Acquisition of Agri-Biotech Applications (ISAAA) reported the area planted to Bt corn in Philippines increased by 16 percent in 2016 over 2015.
The Philippines was the first country in Southeast Asia to plant Bt corn in 2003 after its approval for commercial planting in 2002.
ISAAA bared that farm level economic benefit of planting Bt corn in the Philippines for 2003-2015 is estimated at USD642 million. The net national impact of Bt corn on farm income for 2015 was pegged at USD 82 million. (Lilian C. Mellejor/PNA)
