HCMC - The director of an institute of biotechnology in the Philippines insisted Vietnam have a proper campaign to inform of the public of the economic benefits of genetically modified (GM) crops and address concerns about this biotechnology.
“We need an information campaign to clarify the science behind the technology,” Reynaldo V. Ebora, director of the National Institute of Molecular Biology and Biotechnology at the University of the Philippines Los Banos College, told the Daily before he left Vietnam over the weekend.
Ebora was in Vietnam for about one week to share his know-how and experience in biotechnology at conferences entitled “Vietnam Biotech: Growing the Future” which were co-hosted by the U.S. embassy and the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development (MARD) in HCMC, Hanoi and Vinh Phuc.
Ebora said available analyses and scientific studies on food safety and proteins proved GM crops including corn were as safe for use as conventional products, and there had not been problems reported since the commercial introduction of agricultural biotech in 1996.
Sources showed biotech crops were planted on 134 million hectares in 25 countries and territories last year, making up 9% of the world’s agricultural land and 16 of them being developed nations.
More than 14 million farmers all over the world plant crops enhanced with biotech and approximately 90% of them live in developing countries. Last year saw soya produced in this way account for 77% of the global output of this crop, cotton for 49% and corn for 26%.
Despite the increasing output of biotech crops, Ebora said there were some confusing reports against the biotechnology. He explained there were concerns being raised because of toxin – a term used for a particular protein in the GM process.
“This is actually not a toxin to human, but it is a toxin to a specific group of insects,” Ebora said, furthering that this endotoxin was aimed at helping the crops be resistant to insects including the corn borer.
Farmers will have to count on insecticide spraying to control their crop quality if they do not grow biotech crops, and this is not good for the consumers and the environment. “We know that insecticide residue still remains in the plants and causes environmental problems,” Ebora said.
Ebora underlined the importance of properly addressing those aforesaid concerns in preparation for commercial production of GM crops after testing, as the Philippines did to encourage farmers to adopt the technology and the public to accept it.
There were concerns about GM crops, primarily from the consumers about safety when the Philippines introduced the biotech in 1999 and began commercial production in 2003. But the country has helped the public well understand the technology.
“The way we have done is to basically engage in dialogues.” Ebora said “The government and the technology developers have to exert extra efforts to explain what the technology is about and look at the science behind it.”
Ebora said prior to commercial production of GM crops in the Philippines, scientists of the Philippines had participated in a series of seminars to discuss with the non-governmental organizations about any concerns and to inform the public of the benefits of the biotech.
More farmers and producers in the Philippines have used the technology because they find a better alternative for their yields, which can grow up to 37% compared to conventional crops depending on the areas. This results in an increase in net income for them.
Higher yields and reduced production costs brought about the global net economic value of some US$9.2 billion to growers of biotech crops in 2008, with more than half of which going to farmers in developing countries.
Vietnam has trialed cultivation of biotech maize under the supervision of MARD, and this ministry expects to approve large-scale commercial fields next year.
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