Agri department pushes BT corn

COMMERCIAL Corn farmers in Bantayan Island and Argao town are among the main users of the Bacilus Thuringiesis corn (BT) in Central Visayas.

The Department of Agriculture is campaign to promote transgenic crops or genetically modified organism (GMO) crops as an option to improve agricultural productivity.

Planting GMO crops, however, is a contentious issue worldwide with the environment group, Greenpeace, leading the opposition of anything genetically-modified.

“GMOs should not be released into the environment since there is not an adequate scientific understanding of their impact on the environment and human health,” said Greenpeace in its website.

In the Philippines, however, protests against biotech corn had simmered down since 10 years ago when the program was started.

Transgenic crops are GMO  crops to make them pest and worm resistant resulting to increased harvest yield.

BT corn is an example of a transgenic crop, which is the most popular of the kind used by commercial farmers in the country, said Wilbert Castillo, Chief of Rural Community Development Center of the Department of Agriculture.

The campaign to plant transgenic crops started in 2002, with the DA conducting several studies on the possible effects of the crops.

“Unlike other pesticides, transgenic crop is a safer pest resistant so, farmers should not worry with any health issues,” said Castillo.

He said since GMO crops were planted 10 years ago, the Agriculture department hasn’t received any health complaints issues.

He encouraged local farmers to plant BT corn and assured them of a 26 percent to 55 percent increase of their harvest.

In 2003, he said, only 10,000 hectares of land were planted with BT corn and resulting in a harvest of 25 million metric tons.

After seven years, the result increased to 520,000 hectares planted with BT corn and a harvest of 47 million metric tons of corn.

In Bantayan Island, Castillo said the farmers had an 88 percent increase in the yield of their corn harvest after they planted BT corn. /Correspondent Careen L. Malahay