Philippine Agri State University Partners with Media on Biotechnology

Thirty-three media practitioners, academic personnel, and local government officers from the Bicol region gathered for the Media Workshop on Creating Awareness, Knowledge and Understanding of Biotech Crops held at the Central Bicol State University of Agriculture (CBSUA) in Camarines Sur on 19 May 2010. The workshop is a sequel of biotech outreach activities that started in 2005 which aims to enhance the awareness and understanding of key stakeholders particularly the media, on the principles and benefits of agri-biotechnology; update them on the R&D status of public-sector GM/biotech products; and share farmers' experiences in adopting GM/biotech crops.

In his opening remarks, Prof. Joel Batanes, vice-president of CBSUA Research, Extension and Enterprise Development, emphasized that, "Bringing the right information to farmers' doorsteps will surely make a better acceptance of this biotechnology. We need media people, who are a credible source of information, to convey to the public the information on what our research scientists are doing, such as the project on the development of transgenic fruit and shoot borer-resistant eggplant." He underscored CBSUA's stand in adopting scientific programs, such as biotechnology, that will benefit farmers and complement with the national food sufficiency program.

The workshop was co-organized by CBSUA, the International Service for the Acquisition of Agri-biotech Applications (ISAAA), SEARCA Biotechnology Information Center (SEARCA BIC), Asian Farmers Regional Network (ASFARNET)– Philippines and the Agricultural Biotechnology Support Project (ABSPII), and was supported by the Philippines Department of Agriculture Biotechnology Program (DA BPO) and the United States Agency for International Development (USAID).

To learn more about biotechnology updates in the Philippines, visit SEARCA BIC website at http://www.bic.searca.org/ or e-mail bic@agri.searca.org.