July 31, 2007

Philippine commercialisation of GM crops to broaden in 2009

The acceptance of the Philippine market to genetically-engineered (GE) crops may intensify in 2009 as the country emerges as net food importer as evidenced by increasing agricultural imports by 9 percent annually, according to a report by the US Department of Agriculture.

In 2006, the Philippines was the 15th largest importer of US agricultural, fishery and forestry products with overall export value increasing by 16 percent worth US$924 million from US$826 million in 2005, the USDA says. At the same period, the country was also US' third largest market for soybean meal, fifth for dairy, sixth for snack items and fourth for wheat. The increasing dependence on imports has the government studied the commercialisation of genetically-modified crops in controlling the surge of imports. Under the biotechnology regulations provided by the Department of Agriculture's Administrative Order No. 8 (DA-AO 8), 25 transformation events (TEs) and 15 combined or stacked trait products have been approved for direct use as food, feed or propagation, according to the USDA. Under DA-AO 8, the first GE crop developed locally will be commercialised in early 2009 with other GE crops expected to follow thereafter.

The USDA said the Bureau of Plant Industry reports that roughly 100,000 hectares have been devoted to GE crops, double from the 50,000 planted last year. GE crops planted last year were all corn varieties consisting of Bt corn (75,000 hectares), roundup ready corn (26,000 hectares) and the combination of ready and Bt corn (4,000 hectares). USDA says the increase in GE corn has local corn production increased by 6 million tonnes in 2006, the first time in the Philippine corn planting history. The report said total area planted to corn last year was less than half of one percent of total national area planted to grain, which indicates a very upbeat scenario for GM corn in the next three to five years.

For more of the USDA report, please click here