GM Maize in the Philippines – A Success Story

The Philippines has a long history with GM maize having been the first country in Asia to approve a GM crop for use as food and feed with Bt maize in 2002. The country's biosafety regulations were implemented in 1990 and investments for infrastructure for biotechnology date as far back as 1979.

The success story of GM maize is presented in a new publication titled GM Maize in the Philippines, a Success Story released by Asia-Pacific Consortium on Agricultural Biotechnology amd Bioresources (ApCoAB) and Asia-Pacific Association of Agricultural Research Institutions (APAARI). Given the extensive history of GM maize, the booklet cannot be exhaustive. However, the publication seeks to give the readers a window on the myriad factors that formed the story. While all transformation events of GM maize that have been commercialized to date have been owned by private corporations, various academic, professional, non-government organizations, and international groups have performed various roles in information sharing and capacity building on GM technology. One lesson from the Philippine experience is that a multi-sectoral effort is needed to facilitate the safe and responsible use of GM technology for development.

Download the publication for free from APAARI.