Biotechnology Information Resource No. 3
2010 Global Data Show Philippines Remains Steadfast in Biotech Adoption
by Jenny A. Panopio2 and Sophia M. Mercado3
The Philippines is once again among the trailblazers in terms of biotech
crop adoption. The area planted to biotech corn, the only currently approved
biotech crop for propagation in the country, increased over a quarter million
hectares in 2010, according to the Founder and Chairman of the Board of
International Service for the Acquisition of Agri-biotech Applications (ISAAA),
Dr. Clive James.
Dr. James shared these findings through the recently published ISAAA’s
Brief No. 42: Global Status of Commercialized Biotech/GM Crops: 2010.
The brief, which he authored, is an annual report of the global adoption of
biotech crops and its impact in food production, food security and poverty
alleviation.
In the Philippines, it was reported that area of biotech corn was projected
to increase to 514,000 hectares. This wide hectarage of adoption earned the
Philippines the 13th place among the mega-countries planting biotech crops.
It was also reported that an estimate of 270,000 small resource-poor
Filipino farmers grew biotech corn in 2010. This was 20,000 more than the
number of biotech corn farmers in 2009. Area of biotech corn plantings have
also consistently increased since its commercialization in 2003. Figure 1
below shows the steady increase of biotech corn adoption in the Philippines,
based on ISAAA’s data.
The preference of farmers to stacked trait corn, which is both pest resistant
and herbicide tolerant, was also reflected in the report. The total area of
biotech corn in the country was dominated by stacked trait corn, with a total
area of 411,000 hectares.
Figure 1. Projections of Philippine biotech corn adoption from 2004 to 2010 (James,
2010)
Article was originally published in the Nov2010-Jan2011 issue of BIOLife magazine, pp. 29-33. Published by Biotechnology For Life Media and Advocacy Resource Center : Quezon City,
Philippines, website: www.biotechforlife.com.ph
2
Special Projects Coordinator and Network Administrator of the Southeast Asian Regional Center for Graduate Study and Research in Agriculture - Biotechnology Information Center
(SEARCA BIC).
3
Communications Staff at SEARCA BIC.
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Numerous studies have already
shown that biotech corn has
benefitted Filipino farmers. It was
estimated that the benefits gained
from biotech corn at the farm level,
from 2003 to 2009, have reached
US$108 million.
Dr. Gil C. Saguiguit, Jr., Director
of the Southeast Asian Regional
Center for Graduate Study and
Research in Agriculture (SEARCA),
describes the ISAAA’s annual Global
Status Report as a comprehensive
illustration of the importance of
ensuring a steady increase in global
adoption of biotechnology. He
said that “global data on adoption
are encouraging and testify to the
effectiveness of biotech crops to
deliver their promise. Accounts
of farmers’ successful adoption
provide proof that modern science,
particularly biotechnology, can bring
benefits to the small-scale farmers.
More significantly, they underscore
the importance of giving farmers
a choice on technologies they can
adopt.”
For almost a decade, SEARCA
and ISAAA have been partners
in disseminating factual sciencebased biotechnology information
through the SEARCA Biotechnology
Information Center (BIC).
Dr. Clive James, chairman and founder of ISAAA, presents during the “Seminar on Global Perspective of Commercialized Biotech/GM Crops: 2010” last
March 11, 2011 that the Philippines is still among the top countries planting
biotech crops. With him (from left to right) are Dr. Ruben L. Villareal of the
National Academy of Science and Technology (NAST), farmer Isidro Acosta,
and SEARCA Director Dr. Gil C. Saguiguit, Jr. (Photo courtesy of ISAAA)
Mr. Isidro Acosta from Naguilian, Isabela became a successful corn farmer
from planting biotech corn.
Alleviating farmers’ conditions
Among the first to plant Bt corn in the Philippines, particularly in the Isabela region is Mr. Isidro Acosta, a corn
farmer from Naguilian, Isabela.
During the Philippine launch of ISAAA’s Brief No. 42 last March 11, 2011, Mr. Acosta attested to the benefits that
biotech corn brings to farmers. He said that back then, the Asian corn borer was a key challenge in growing corn; the
pest accounted for about 80 percent of damage to crops. But from his lowly harvests of 3-3.5 tons per hectare with
conventional corn, Mr. Acosta’s yield increased to 6-7 tons when he started planting biotech corn. Consequently, his
income also increased from Php25,000 to Php50,000 per hectare. Because of the extra income Mr. Acosta is now a
proud farmer with a thriving goat, sheep, and organic vegetable farms.
Aside from enhancing yield and income, biotech corn has improved the health and environment conditions for
farmers, particularly in terms of pesticide applications. In his testimonial in the new Brief, Mr. Acosta enumerated
and explained the environmental benefits and ridded costs and hazards from planting biotech corn. “You get savings
from labor and spraying with biotech corn. It is also safe to the environment. When you spray an ordinary hybrid
corn, you cannot immediately go in your farm within 24 hours – you have to let the chemicals pass. When we sprayed
back then, many friendly insects disappeared. Now, with biotech corn, they are gradually coming back to the farm,
because spraying has significantly lessened.”
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Sound national framework and support
Biotechnology endeavors in the Philippines is greatly supported by the
government. According to Dr. Candida Adalla, Chair of the Department of
Agriculture-Biotechnology Program Office, “We are investing on the safe
use of biotech and are committed to its safe and responsible use. Biotech
products would benefit everyone, particularly the Filipino people.”
Among the upcoming crop biotechnology products in the Philippines are
the fruit and shoot borer resistant Bt eggplant and the delayed ripening
and virus resistant papaya, both of the University of the Philippines Los
Baños; and the biofortified rice of the Philippine Rice Research Institute.
The most advanced of these promising public-sector crop biotechnology
products is Bt eggplant which is currently under multi-location field trials
in several sites in the country. Bt eggplant is expected to increase farmers’
Bt eggplant (left) and non-Bt eggplant (right). Bt eggplant, the most
advanced crop in the pipeline, is
being tested in multi-location field
trials in the country.
marketable yield, thereby increasing their income. It was also projected to significantly reduce chemical
pesticide applications, thus providing positive impact to the environment and reducing health problems
related to pesticide use and misuse.
The national scientific community also fully backs biotechnology products in the country. The Philippine
National Academy of Science and Technology (NAST) president, Dr. Emil Q. Javier, was quoted on these
Philippine products “Much of this was made possible through collective leadership, strong group of scientists
who believed in transgenics for modern agriculture and government support.”
Dr. Ruben Villareal, also of NAST, forecasted that biotech crops would expand as more crop biotech
products in the pipeline are given R&D attention in developing countries.
Biotech crops: A beneficial, global phenomena
The first among the mega countries adopting biotech crops is the USA, with 66.8 million hectares planted to
biotech crops, followed by Brazil and Argentina.
Brazil had the highest increase in 2010, adding 4 million hectares of biotech crops. It now plants 17 percent of the
world’s biotech crops.
India, which is among the top developing countries growing biotech crops, had 9.4 million hectares planted to Bt
cotton in 2010. It was reported to have been planted by 6.3 million farmers.
The top developing countries planting biotech crops are China, India, Brazil, Argentina, and South Africa.
For the year 2010 in Southeast Asia, Myanmar, has notably approved for the first time, the propagation of Bt
cotton. Myanmar is also next to the Philippines in terms of area of adoption, with 0.3 million hectares dedicated to
biotech crops.
The following map shows the top countries planting biotech crops in the world. The top 17 countries, the
Philippines included, grow 50,000 or more hectares of biotech crops. With such wide adoption since it was first
planted in 1996, this goes to show that biotech crops are, as Dr. James put it “here to stay.”
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Reference:
James, Clive. 2010. Global Status of Commercialized Biotech/GM Crops: 2010. ISAAA Brief No. 42. ISAAA: Ithaca, NY.
For more information, visit:
August 2011
www.isaaa.org
www.bic.searca.org
E-mail: [email protected]
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