Filipino Farmers Uphold Biotech Products for Agriculture

Thirty-six farmers and farmer-leaders from various provinces in the Philippines signed a statement of support on the use of modern biotechnology in agriculture during the study visit for the "Bioteknolohiya at Pagsasaka: Forum and Farmers' Exposure Trip on Agricultural Biotechnology" at the University of the Philippines Los Baños (UPLB), Laguna on November 26, 2013. The farmers' forum, held on November 25-26, was part of the celebration of 9^th National Biotechnology Week. The forum and exposure trip or study visit allowed the farmers to interact with various experts on the science and safety of biotech and its products, as well as with biotech farmer-leaders on their adoption experiences.

The statement affirms that the farmers recognize the potentials and value of biotech crops being developed in the country such as the pest resistant Bt eggplant of UPLB which, they conveyed, can help boost their yield with significantly less usage of chemical pesticides. Ultimately, these biotech crops "could contribute to food and fiber security and would increase productivity and income to alleviate hunger and rural poverty." They also expressed their confidence on the competency of Filipino scientists in carrying out biotech R&D and the biosafety regulatory system in the country.

The forum was co-organized by ISAAA, the Department of Agriculture-Biotechnology Program Office, Commission on Higher Education, and the Southeast Asian Regional Center for Graduate Study and Research in Agriculture-Biotechnology Information Center (SEARCA BIC).

For more information about the activity, visit SEARCA BIC's website, http://www.bic.searca.org/ or send an e-mail to bic@agri.searca.org.