by R. Sarmiento
SEARCA Biotech News Updates

The country will have first harvests next month of the controversial Bacillus thuringiensis (Bt) corn planted in some 100 hectares of farmlands in various parts of the country, a pro-biotechnology group reported.

The Southeast Asia Center for Graduate Study and Research Agriculture (SEARCA) said the first genetically engineered crop approved for commercial planting by the Department of Agriculture-Bureau of Plant Industry (DA-BPI) is now grown in Pangasinan, the Ilocos region and Isabela.

"These biotech corn plants which were planted in late December 2002 will harvested in April," said the group's statement posted on the Internet.

The Los Baños, Laguna-based SERACA claimed that Filipino farmers, as well as Thais, back the Bt corn variety called YieldGard 818, which was developed by Monsanto Co., following recent visits to the Bt farm sites.

The visits to the biotech corn farms were participated in by 13 farmers and local government officials from Thailand and the Philippines.

"Bt corn will further improve corn production efficiency in Thailand" said Manaop Khamsiti, a farmer-leader from Nan province in northern Thailand, whi visited recently the biotech corn farms in Luna,
Isabela.

The Thai government has imposed the moratorium on genetically modified trials but now mulls the lifting of moratorium. The visited enable Thai farmers to see for themselves the performance of
commercial planting 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 percent to 50 percent, according to SEARCA.

Bt corn is developed through genetic engineering by inserting a specific gene from Bacillus thuringiesis, 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.

Compare with conventional corn hybrids that are also grown in the area, visiting farmers saw that Bt corn were not attacked by the corn borer s SEARCA said.

It added that traditional hybrid, 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," said Hector Madriaga, a Bt corn farmers from Luna, Isabela, who plans to expand his farm area for Bt corn during the wet season planting.

He hoped the government will provide some forms of credit assistance for buying Bt corn seeds, Madriaga, like the other Bt corn farmers, grows both the Bt corn and conventional corn hybrids.

Edwin Paraluman, a farmer-leader fro General Santos City, hoping the Mindanao farmers, especially those from South Cotabato and Bukidnon, will also be given the chance to use Bt corn so that farmers in Mindanao may also reap benefits fro the improved technology.

"We produce food, therefore, we should be given all the options including improving varieties like Bt corn to enable us to produce more," Paraluman said. The first genetically engineering crop was
approve for commercial planting through the commendation of the agriculture department's Scientific and technical Review Panel in December last year.

Farmers groups in South Cotabato, backed by the local Catholic Church, satisfy resisted the move and called for the recall of the approval..