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Archives
April 16-30, 2001
GM food crops safe; scientific community
clarifies issues
by Virginia A. Duldulao
Genetically modified food crops are as
safe as any conventionally bred crop and pose no additional
threat to humans and the environment.This is one of
the clarifying statements issued by the members of the
Philippine scientific community. They echoed the declaration
of the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO), European
Commission, The Third World Academy of Sciences and
the national academies of science and technology of
several countries regarding GM crop.
Further, the scientists cite the approval
of the Pontifical Academy for Life of the Vatican regarding
biotechnology and the use of genetically modified organisms
(GMOs) as long as they help prevent hunger. They said
that more sectors of society, including small farmers,
benefit more from the technology than big commercial
farmers. With GMOs, the farmers and the environment
are less exposed to harmful effects of pesticides since
the crops are resistant to insect pests.
GMOs are either new varieties of plants
or strains of animals. They are developed by adding,
through laboratory means, a useful quality or desired
characteristic to a popular variety or strain. This
is a technology that can be used to increase productivity
and improve the quality of crops like rice, corn, and
others. Developed countries have been using this technology
for sometime. In the U.S., for instance, 70 percent
of their processed foods already contain GMO-derived
ingredients.
The year planted to crops using GMO is
increasing. In the year 2000, the global area devoted
for GMO crops is 44.2 million hectares, an increase
of 11 percent from l999 acreage. China planted on more
than 500,000 hectares and Indonesia, 10,000 hectares.
Available soybean and corn at the world market contain
50 and 16 percent GMO, respectively. The Philippines
is one of the countries that annually import these commodities.
This means that our country has been using GM food crops.
The scientists clarified other issues.
Among them is the GMO contamination in foods. It is
not true, they said, that the presence of GMOs in food
has an adverse effect on health. The publicized recall
of a certain corn in the U.S. was simply a scare tactic.
Another issue is on the "pollution"
in food production such as the proposed field trial
in Mindanao. The scientists clarified that planting
different varieties at different times or isolating
the variety could easily prevent the "pollution"
or gene flow.
As to the accumulation of GM product in
the body, the scientists said that the new products
in a GM crop is a small piece of DNA and 2-3 new proteins,
common substances found in all foods that are usually
digested or ejected from the body. Soil microbes easily
degrade these substances. Therefore, there is no danger
for these GM products to accumulate in the body.
In conclusion, they said the GM crops
that are disease-, insect-, and drought-resistant are
needed by our Filipino farmers in facing the challenge
to produce enough for our big population. They should
be allowed to choose the technology appropriate to their
conditions. Similarly, the consumers should be given
the choice.
On the government's part, it should strengthen
the capacity of the scientific community in genetic
engineering technology and support the rapid transfer
of appropriate GMOs to farmers like Bt corn.
Moreover, the government must strengthen the regulatory
agencies and equip them with the capability to evaluate
new products and technologies using sound scientific
methodologies. It must ensure that only safe products
reach the public and the environment.
On the part of the NCBP, it must always
safeguard the public and the environment from harmful
genetic engineering experiments but must relax its stringent
rules for appropriate experiments to flourish.
The scientists who represented their organizations
in clarifying the issues include the following: Dr.
Saturnina Halos, president, Women Association of Scientists
in the Philippines; Dr. Evelyn Mae Mendoza, coordinator,
Biotech Program, Institute of Plant Breeding, UPLB;
Dina Masa, president, Women Inventors of the Philippines;
Dr. Lydia Joson, president, Women in Science and Technology
Foundation; Engr. Lydia Tansinsiní president,
Philippine Association for the Advancement of Science;Dr.
Sonia de Leon, president,,Foundation for the Advancement
of Science and Technology;Dr. Nellie Lopez, director,
Institute of Biology, College of Science, UP Diliman;
Dr. Ernelia Cao, director, Natural Sciences Research
Institute, UP Diliman; Dr.Leocadio Sebastian, president,
Crop Science Society of the Philippines; and Dr. Nina
Barzaga, director, National Institute of Molecular Biology
and Biotechnology, UP Manila. 
April 16-30 2001 Articles: ::
DA, Winrock to launch PinoyFarmer website
::
GM food crops safe; scientific community clarifies issues
::
Philipine and Asian aggie faces new challenges
::: More April 2001 articles :::
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