The Philippine government has allowed biotech firm Monsanto to sell its latest genetically-modified corn variant with engineered insect-and-weed resistance for cultivation by local farmers.

The Bureau of Plant Industry an attached agency of the Department of Agriculture awarded the permit for the traits under event codes MON 89034 x NK603. The traits are covered by permit 11-004 which is effective for five years.

The approval of MON 89034 x NK603 for cultivation opens Philippine farms to the use of a new stack product combining second-generation Yield Gard (YG2) and Round-Up Ready Corn (RRC2), with insect resistance and herbicide tolerance.

In a statement, Monsanto said that the G2 trait, conferred by bacterial Bt genes Cry1A.105 and Cry2Ab2, provides maximum protection against the Asian Corn Borer and good control against corn earworm and common cutworm.

The company said RRC2 trait enables simpler and affordable weed-control management through the use of RoundUp herbicide which kills weeds but not the biotech corn.

Meanwhile, the introduction of YG2 corn to the fields will also enhance insect-resistance management for Bt corn hybrids and extend the longevity of the Bt corn technology. YG2RRC2 corn, also known as VTDouble Pro, is extensively grown in the United States, Brazil and South Africa to provide farmers higher and more stable yields.

Monsanto said the sale of YG2RRC2 in the Philippines will start in May 2011 after rigorous regulated field trials for almost three years in several locations across the country and a thorough review of technical papers assessing its effectiveness and safety.

Yield Gard 2 single had been granted cultivation approval on November 19, 2010, after about two and a half years of thorough field testing and technical reviews. Two nontarget organism (NTO) studies were also conducted from 2009 to 2010, which showed no adverse impact of MON 89034 on NTOs.

The company has over three decades of presence in the Philippines and is involved today in the promotion of modern agricultural biotechnology. It is also taking the lead in educating Filipino farmers in using biotech products to achieve the country's aim of food security and sufficiency.