Experts Call for Urgent Political Support for Agri-biotech in the Philippines

Authored by the Coalition for Agriculture Modernization in the Philippines, Inc. (CAMP), SEARCA Biotechnology Information Center's (SEARCA BIC) second policy brief highlights the urgent need for a strong political support for biotechnology and biotech crops as well as streamlined biosafety regulations in the Philippines. The CAMP is a non-government organization composed of volunteers from agriculture, agribusiness, industry, academe, government, professional groups and international organization who contribute their time, expertise and/or resources to champion agriculture modernization in the country.

With the country's existing regulatory framework, it takes at least 65 months (almost five and a half years) to complete all requirements for the commercial release of modern biotechnology products. This, along with groups opposing the technologies, pose a challenge to Filipino biotechnology scientists.

The policy brief underlines the need to enact a national law that will support and accelerate science-based innovations and technology, reduce time-consuming regulations, and provide an enabling environment for Filipino scientists to produce high-yielding, pest-resistant biotech crops that could survive in different ecosystems throughout the Philippines and support the country's continuously increasing population.

The 2018 Policy Brief series is produced in partnership with the International Service for the Acquisition of Agri-biotech Applications (ISAAA), Coalition for Agriculture Modernization in the Philippines (CAMP), Department of Agriculture-Biotechnology Program Office (DA-BPO), Program for Biosafety Systems (PBS), and DA-Bureau of Agricultural Research (DA-BAR).

For more details, read the full policy brief.