Isabela, The Philippines
March 11, 2003

"Bt corn will further improve corn production efficiency in Thailand," says Manop Khamsitti, a farmer-leader from Nan Province, Northern Thailand. Manop joined other Thai and Filipino farmers who visited recently the biotech corn farms in Luna, Isabela. The Thai government has imposed a moratorium on GMOs trials but now mulls over the lifting of the moratorium. The visit enables Thai farmers to see for themselves the performance of commercial plantings of Bt corn, Yieldgard 818.

Like the Filipino farmers, Thais also suffer heavy losses from corn borer infestation. In the Philippines, corn borer attacks can reduce yields by as much as 30-50%. Bt corn is developed through genetic engineering by inserting a specific gene from Bacillus thuringiensis, a naturally occurring bacterium in soil, into a corn variety. The gene produces a protein that is lethal to corn borers hence making the
corn plant resistant to corn borer attacks.

Compared with conventional corn hybrids that are also grown in the area, visiting farmers saw that Bt corn were not attacked by corn borers. Traditional hybrids on the other hand showed that the corn plants were still attacked by corn borers despite applying pesticides.  "We are happy with the healthy growth of Bt corn and look forward to higher yields" enthuses Hector Madriaga, a Bt corn farmer from Luna, Isabela who plans to expand his farm area for Bt corn during the wet season planting. He hopes the government will provide some forms of credit assistance for buying Bt corn seeds. Hector like the other Bt corn farmers grow both the Bt corn and the conventional corn hybrids.

Edwin Paraluman, a farmer-leader from General Santos City ardently hopes that Mindanao farmers especially from South Cotabato and Bukidnon will also be given the chance to use Bt corn so that farmers in Mindanao may also reap benefits from the improved technology. "We produce food, therefore, we should be given all the options including improved varieties like Bt corn to enable us to produce more," he stressed.

The first genetically engineered crop approved for commercial planting by the Department of Agriculture-Bureau of Plant Industry (DA-BPI), Bt corn is now grown in Pangasinan, Ilocos and Isabela. These biotech corn plants which were planted in late December 2002 will be harvested in April. For the first planting, about one hundred hectares have been planted to Bt corn. Worldwide, biotech corn is planted to twelve million hectares in Argentina, Canada, European Union, South Africa and United States.

The visit to biotech corn farms was participated by thirteen farmers, four media representatives, and local government officials from Thailand and Philippines. The Los Baños-based SEAMEO SEARCA Biotechnology Information Center.