VATIS UPDATE Article

Philippines is ranked as the top grower of biotech or genetically modified (GM) crops in Southeast Asia and 12th biggest producer globally last year, the International Service for the Acquisition of Agri-biotech Application (ISAAA) revealed on May 19. ISAAA’s chair of the board of Trustees, Dr. Paul Teng, during a media conference on the global status of commercialized GM crops in 2016 in Muntinlupa City, said the country reached a total of 812,000 hectares of biotech or GM corn planted here in 2016, a significant increase of 16 percent from the 702,000 hectares were grown in 2015. Highest hectarage of GM corn recorded is at 831,000 hectares in 2014. Adoption rates of biotech or GM corn here are up by two percentage points to 65 percent in 2016 from 63 percent in 2015. Growing biotech or GM corn has benefitted some 406,000 farmers last year. “Biotech crops have become a vital agricultural resource for farmers because of the immense benefits for improved productivity and profitability, as well as conservation efforts,” Teng said.

In a global scale, a total of 185.1 million hectares of biotech or GM crops were planted in 26 countries in Asia, Africa, Europe, and North and Latin America in 2016. GM corn, being the lone biotech crop allowed here, has been planted since 2003 after its approval for commercialization in 2002.