Genetically-modified crops, fastest adopted technology in recent history – study

 

The adoption of genetically-modified crops around the world has grown since its commercialization in 1996, despite adamant claims that GMOs are dangerous and unhealthy.
 

Biotech crops or GM crops is the fastest adopted crop technology in recent history, according to a study conducted by the International Service for the Acquisition of Agri-Biotech Applications (ISAAA) on the Global Status of Commercialized Biotech/GM Crops in 2013.

GM corn in the Philippines

The only biotech crop being planted in the Philippines as of the present is corn. GM corn is planted in 800,000 hectares in the country. That is 32 percent of the total number of hectares of corn fields (2.5 million).

Corn, which is mostly used as livestock feed if not for human consumption, also enjoys an abundance in the Philippines.
 

“We failed at being self-sufficient in rice in 2013. We fell a little short. But corn really exceeds expectations every year,” said Dr. Segfredo Serrano, Department of Agriculture Undersecretary for Policy, Planning, Research and Development.
 

In 2013, the combined production of GM and non-GM corn in the Philippines decreased by 20 to 30 percent due to climatic conditions, Philippine Maize Federation, Inc. President Engr. Roger V. Navarro said in a phone interview with GMA News Online on Friday.
 

However, there was a surplus of three million kilograms of corn in 2013 despite the decrease in production.
 

GM corn, while resistant to pests, is still dependent on the amount of fertilizer in the soil and the harmful weather conditions that affect the country yearly, Navarro added.
 

Serrano also said that the increase in yield in planting GM corn will also depend on the loss of production due to pests:
 

“If there is no pest pressure from the Asian Corn Borer, your normal hybrid will yield the same. But the problem is, if you have very high pest pressure, you will lose 40 percent of the crops.”
 

“That's why we are being self sufficient in corn, primarily because of this," Serrano opined. "In being able to protect the crop, instead of losing 40 percent, you minimize loses. It translates to better security for your livestock, better income for farmers.”
 

Pro and Anti GMO arguments
 

Pro-GMO advocates and scientists argue that biotechnology is essential to food security. The demand for high yielding, pest resistant crops remains constant due to the need to feed the world's growing population using a decreasing amount of arable land.
 

“We're the buckle of the typhoon belt, the jewel of the ring of fire. We have scarce land and will soon have scarce water,” Serrano said. “We have to be very open to scientific advances with proper precaution to solve the eternal problem of food security.”
 

Greenpeace, an anti-GMO organization, continues to take a preventive stance, saying that consumers can never be absolutely sure of the safety of GMOs since this is only determined by decades of data and study. - Kim Luces/RAF, GMA News