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Posted 04
May 2010
PRESS RELEASE
1-REGULATORS IMPROVE BIOTECH COMMUNICATION
SKILLS
2-NEW TECH-TRANSFER LAW MAY HASTEN BIOTECH
COMMERCIALIZATION IN THE PHILIPPINES
PHILIPPINES
3-HERBICIDES-RESISTANT CORN APPROVED
FOR PLANTING IN RP
4-SYNGENTA FILES APPLICATION FOR BT
CORN FOR FEED AND FOOD USE
INDIA
5-CONSULT SCIENTISTS, NOT PUBLIC, ON
BT BRINJAL, PAWAR TOLD
GLOBAL
6-BIOTECH CROPS CONTINUE TO MAKE IMPORTANT
CONTRIBUTIONS TO SUSTAINABLE FARMING
AND TO GLOBAL FOOD AFFORDABILITY
7-MOUNTING EVIDENCE SHOWS POSITIVE IMPACT
OF BIOTECH CROPS
More
news...
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PRESS RELEASE
1-REGULATORS IMPROVE BIOTECH
COMMUNICATION SKILLS
by Jenny A. Panopio
30-April-2010 SEARCA
BIC Press Release
 Members
of the Philippine’s Department of
Agriculture (DA) Biotech Core Team, policy
staff and biotech research management
team recently undertook a communication
workshop to enhance their skills in communicating
science-based information on agricultural
biotechnology in a manner that will help
stakeholders in their decision-making
process.
This capability enhancement activity
titled, “Communication Workshop:
Enhancing Skills in Addressing Issues
about Crop Biotechnology” was
specifically designed for the biotech
regulators to enable them to be equipped
with communication skills in order to
respond proactively to high concern
and controversial situations related
to agri-biotechnology.
During the opening program, Dr. Larry
Lacson, Director of the Bureau of Plant
Industry, stressed the need to convey
effectively the issues and benefits
of biotechnology to several stakeholders.
He added that the government remains
supportive of the safe and responsible
use of biotechnology, being one of the
technologies that can provide enough
food for the future.
Similarly, Dr. Clarito Barron, Chair
of the DA Biotech Core Team, acknowledged
the importance of biotech communication
for regulators. He added that as regulators,
they need to be in the forefront of
educating the public on the science-based
information on agri-biotechnology in
order to remove confusions and fears
on the technology.
The International
Service for the Acquisition of Agri-biotech
Applications (ISAAA) , DA Biotech
Program Office and the SEARCA Biotechnology
Information Center (SEARCA BIC) organized
this two-day workshop last 27 –
28 April 2010 at Sunrise Hotel, Alfonso,
Cavite, Philippines.
For information on biotechnology updates
in the Philippines, visit www.bic.searca.org
or send an email to bic@agri.searca.org.
2-NEW TECH-TRANSFER LAW MAY
HASTEN BIOTECH COMMERCIALIZATION
IN THE PHILIPPINES
by Rochella B. Lapitan
30-April-2010 SEARCA
BIC Press Release
The country beefs up commercialization
of government-funded technologies through
the enactment of the Philippine Technology
Transfer Act of 2009, signed recently
by President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo.
The passing of this key legislation
will indeed benefit public-sector R&D,
such as biotechnology, and it will also
encourage local scientists to transfer
their technologies from laboratory to
the market.
Several R&D efforts in the government
institutions and state colleges and
universities remain to be untapped,
and commercialization of these technologies
is hampered due to lack of well-defined
policy and insufficient government investment
on technology transfer and incubation.
This resulted to the minimal patent
applications and depleted number of
patent grants of government R&D
institutions with only one patent granted
in 2005, courtesy of the International
Rice Research Institute, and another
one on the sambong herbs of the Department
of Science and Technology (DOST) in
2006.
DOST Secretary Estrella Alabastro affirmed
that the law has mandated the grant
of incentives to scientists in the form
of royalties, which in turn, allowing
them to have venture capital for start-up
companies. It also speeds-up the process
of technology commercialization systematically
and broadens intellectual property assertions
in the country.
For related information regarding this
article, visit http://www.bic.searca.org/news/2010/apr/phi/24.html
For additional updates on biotechnology
in the Philippines send an e-mail to
bic@agri.searca.org
or visit the SEARCA Biotechnology Information
Center website at www.bic.searca.org.
PHILIPPINES
3-HERBICIDES-RESISTANT CORN
APPROVED FOR PLANTING IN RP
by Lyn Resurreccion, Science Editor
25-April-2010 Business
Mirror
A corn with a new trait – built-in
resistance to herbicides – was
recently approved for cultivation in
the Philippines, agribusiness firm Syngenta
announced recently.
The genetically enhanced corn trait
GA21, a product of Syngenta research,
received cultivation approval in the
Philippines, following biosafety and
other required assessments by the Department
of Agriculture (DA).
“GA21 is Syngenta’s viable
option for an effective weed management
of corn farms to maximize yield,”
Recher Ondap, Syngenta Philippines country
head for seeds, told the Business Mirror
in an e-mail interview.
“This [Philippine] approval further
strengthens Syngenta’s portfolio
of high-quality seeds and allows us
to continue bringing advanced agricultural
technology to the growers in this region,”
said Peter Pickering, Syngenta Seeds
Asia-Pacific region head.
The firm said the GA21 corn offers growers
increased productivity and reduced production
costs.
GA21 corn will be available in the Philippines
market this coming wet cropping season,
Ondap said.
He said GA21 has been commercially cultivated
in the US since 1997, Canada, Argentina,
Brazil and South Africa. In the US alone
it has been cultivated in 10.3 million
hectares since 1998.
Syngenta’s other genetically modified
corn in the insect-tolerant Bacillus
thuringiensis (Bt)-11 corn, which is
introduced in the Philippine market
in 2005 and has since been grown commercially
by Filipino farmers, Ondap said.
GA21 corn is tolerant to glyphosate
herbicide but does not have resistance
to insects like the corn borer. It is
exactly the same as the conventional
hybrid counterpart, but with the addition
of the herbicide-tolerant trait, he
explained.
Ondap pointed out that since GA21 is
only herbicide-tolerant, “appropriate
crop-protection products must be applied
to protect it from borers.”
He announced that Syngenta’s next
product – the Bt11xGA21 corn stack
– combines the borer-resistance
and herbicide-tolerance traits into
one hybrid to be able to provide better
seeds for farmers. “The stack
product will be launched later this
year,” he told the Business Mirror.
When asked how long it took the DA to
approve the corn trait for cultivation,
Ondap said: “We [Synganta] did
greenhouse trials [2007-2008], followed
by multilocation field trials [2008-2009]
to demonstrate the efficacy and the
benefits derived from this trait. [The]
BPI [Bureau of Plant Industry, a DA
agency] thoroughly assessed [the] food,
feed and environmental safety of GA21
before approving this event for commercial
cultivation.”
Syngenta added that the cultivation
of GA21 corn in the Philippines would
enable the agribusiness firm to accelerate
the development and introduction of
better hybrid varieties and new traits,
responding to the growing demand across
the Asia-Pacific region.
Syngenta is one of the world’s
leading companies with more than 24,000
employees in more than 90 countries.
It said it is committed to sustainable
agriculture by raising productivity
through innovative research and new
technology.
4-SYNGENTA FILES APPLICATION
FOR BT CORN FOR FEED AND FOOD USE
by Melody M. Aguiba
04-April-2010 Manila
Bulletin
Multinational biotechnology firm Syngenta
has filed an application to distribute
a highly-potent, genetically modified
(GM) Asiatic borer-resistant corn in
the Philippines that should sustain
farmers' increased yield even beyond
10 years of the GM corn's commercial
propagation.
Syngenta's application involves more
than one gene in corn that is known
to protect the crop doubly from infestation
from the Asiatic corn borer so that
if the first gene loses its effectivity
in resisting the pest, another one is
present to make the corn plant survive
the infestation.
Here, what is present is the transformation
event called "vip3Aa20," a
gene from Bacillus thuringiensis (Bt)
on a vegetative insecticidal protein
(Vip) which controls several pests in
corn including corn earworm, common
cutworm, fall armyworm, and corn semi-looper.
Dr. Reynaldo V. Ebora, biosafety expert
of the Biosafety Clearing House Philippines
and Philippine Council for Advanced
Science and Technology Research and
Development executive director, said
Syngenta's GM corn has effectively been
found safe for use as feed and food.
"It has applied for direct use
of the corn for feed, food, and processing.
Safety is a non-issue here because its
safety has already been established,"
said Ebora in an interview.
However, he explained that Syngenta
should make it sure that it accurately
explains the difference of this safe
Bt protein from another type of protein
that is toxic and which may confuse
sectors with vested interest against
the Bt corn technology.
Syngenta and other biotechnology firms
like Monsanto have developed this second
generation GM crop to ensure that Bt
corn retains its potency against borer
pests even beyond almost 10 years of
commercial propagation of Bt corn in
the country.
Monsanto has Mon 89-034 which is a GM
corn that has two Bt proteins. This
must be the counterpart of Syngenta's.
Monsanto has completed two seasons of
multi-locational field trial of Mon
89-034 in the Philippines and is set
to take another season of multi-locational
field trial prior to its release in
the market, according to Dr. Arnold
Estrada, Monsanto biotechnology regional
manager.
Monsanto has also developed another
type of a second generation GM corn
whose prime trait is its efficiency
in nitrogen use, Estrada said.
This way, farmers may obtain the same
high yield even if he reduces the use
of fertilizer in farming. Or they may
be able to obtain higher yield from
this corn plant that has efficient nitrogen
utilization.
INDIA
5-CONSULT SCIENTISTS, NOT PUBLIC, ON
BT BRINJAL, PAWAR TOLD
24-April-2010 The
Hindu
Bangalore: More than 540 scientists
from India and around the world have
signed a petition urging Union Agriculture
Minister Sharad Pawar to “explore
ways to reverse” the moratorium
on the commercialisation of Bt brinjal
in India.
Describing the moratorium by the Ministry
of Environment and Forests (MoEF) as
an “anti-science decision,”
the petition says that genetically modified
(GM) food has been consumed by hundreds
of millions of people for 15 years now
without any harm to human health or
the environment. The petition was drafted
by the Foundation for Biotechnology
Awareness and Education (FBAE).
“Bt brinjal has been given the
all-clear by the Genetic Engineering
Approval Committee. But Jairam Ramesh
has based his decision on public opinion
and not on scientific reason,”
said C. Kameswara Rao, executive secretary
of FBAE, at a press conference here
on Friday.
The petition urged the Minister to “consult
leading scientific academies of India”
on GM crop technology and Bt brinjal.
The Indian scientific community is overwhelmingly
in support of Bt brinjal. The MoEF's
decision has ramifications beyond Bt
brinjal as it “has sent a powerful
message to the world that India's decisions
on matters of science and technology
will not be made on the basis of science
and biosafety, but on the decibel strengths
of ideologically motivated, anti-science
activists,” states the petition.
The MoEF “appears to see no urgency
in delivering the fruits of modern biotechnology
to poor farmers.”
Increased yield
GM crops are now planted on more than
125 million hectares in India and other
countries and have been shown to increase
crop yields, reduce the use of agrochemicals,
and improve the nutritive quality of
foods, says the plea. Several countries,
including the U.S., have approved GM
crops for commercial cultivation.
GLOBAL
6-BIOTECH CROPS CONTINUE TO
MAKE IMPORTANT CONTRIBUTIONS TO SUSTAINABLE
FARMING AND TO GLOBAL FOOD AFFORDABILITY[1]
28-April-2010 PG
Economics Press Release
Two new studies show biotech crops continue
to deliver significant global economic
and environmental benefits and make
important contributions to global food
production, food security and lower
real prices for food and feed crops
“Since 1996, biotech crop adoption
has contributed to reducing the release
of greenhouse gas emissions from agriculture,
decreased pesticide spraying, significantly
boosted farmers’ incomes and resulted
in lower real world prices for corn,
canola, soybeans and the main derivatives
of these crops,” said Graham Brookes,
director of PG Economics, co-author
of the reports. “The technology
has also made important contributions
to increasing crop yields, reducing
production risks, improving productivity
and raising global production of key
crops. The combination of economic and
environmental benefit delivery is therefore
making a valuable contribution to improving
the sustainability of global agriculture
and affordability of food, with these
benefits and improvements being greatest
in developing countries”
Previewing the findings of the two studies,
the key findings are:
• Biotech crops have contributed
to significantly reducing the release
of greenhouse gas emissions from agricultural
practices. This results from less fuel
use and additional soil carbon storage
from reduced tillage with biotech crops.
In 2008, this was equivalent to removing
15.6 billion kg of carbon dioxide from
the atmosphere or equal to removing
6.9 million cars from the road for one
year;
• Biotech crops have reduced pesticide
spraying (1996-2008) by 352 million
kg (-8.4%) and as a result decreased
the environmental impact associated
with herbicide and insecticide use on
the area planted to biotech crops by
16.3%;
• Herbicide tolerant biotech crops
have facilitated the adoption of no/reduced
tillage production systems in many regions,
especially South America. This has made
important contributions to reducing
soil erosion and improving soil moisture
levels;
• There have been substantial
net economic benefits at the farm level
amounting to $9.4 billion in 2008 and
$52 billion for the thirteen year period.
The farm income gain in 2008 is equivalent
to adding 3.65% to the value of global
production of the four main biotech
crops of soybeans, corn, canola and
cotton;
• Of the total farm income benefit,
50.5% ($26.25 billion) has been due
to yield gains, with the balance arising
from reductions in the cost of production.
Two thirds of the yield gain derive
from adoption of insect resistant crops
and the balance from herbicide tolerant
crops;
• The share of the farm income
gains, both in 2008 and cumulatively
(1996-2008) has been about 50% each
for farmers in developing and developed
countries;
• The cost farmers paid for accessing
GM technology in 2008 was equal to 27%
of the total technology gains (a total
of $12.8 billion inclusive of farm income
gains ($9.4 billion) plus cost of the
technology payable to the seed supply
chain ($3.4 billion[2]));
• For farmers in developing countries
the total cost of accessing the technology
in 2008 was equal to about 15% of total
technology gains, whilst for farmers
in developed countries the cost was
36% of the total technology gains. Whilst
circumstances vary between countries,
the higher share of total technology
gains accounted for by farm income gains
in developing countries relative to
the farm income share in developed countries
reflects factors such as weaker provision
and enforcement of intellectual property
rights in developing countries;
• Since 1996, biotech traits have
added 74 million tonnes and 79.7 million
tonnes respectively to global production
of soybeans and corn. The technology
has also contributed an extra 8.6 million
tonnes of cotton lint and 4.8 million
tonnes of canola;
• If GM technology had not been
available to the (13.3 million) farmers
using the technology in 2008, maintaining
global production levels at the 2008
levels would have required additional
plantings of 4.6 million ha of soybeans,
3.5 million ha of corn, 2.2 million
ha of cotton and 0.3 million ha of canola.
This total area requirement is equivalent
to about 6% of the arable land in the
US, or 21% of the arable land in Brazil;
• World prices of corn, soybeans
and canola would probably be respectively
5.8%, 9.6% and 3.8% higher than 2007
baseline levels if the technology was
no longer available to farmers. Prices
of key derivatives (eg, soymeal) would
also probably be 5% to 9% higher and
prices of related cereals and oilseeds
(eg, wheat, barley, sunflower) would
be 3% to 4% higher;
• The global cost of consuming
cereals and oilseeds would probably
increase by $20 billion (+3.6%) relative
to the 2007 baseline cost of consumption
if biotech traits were no longer available
to farmers;
• Average global yields would
probably fall 1.5%, 4.3% and 0.65% respectively
for corn, soybeans and canola if biotech
traits were no longer available to farmers.
For additional information, contact
Graham Brookes Tel +44(0) 1531 650123.
www.pgeconomics.co.uk
[1] Papers available to download
at www.pgeconomics.co.uk. The full (annual)
global economic and environmental impact
report updates previous studies (using
the same methodology), available on
the same website and (shorter versions)
in the peer review scientific journal,
Agbioforum (ref 13 (1) 76-94) - www.agbioforum.org.
The 2nd paper analyses the impact on
global corn, canola and soybean prices
and is also available in AgBioforum
(ref 13 (1) 25-52)
[2] The cost of the technology accrues
to the seed supply chain including sellers
of seed to farmers, seed multipliers,
plant breeders, distributors and the
GM technology providers
7-MOUNTING EVIDENCE SHOWS POSITIVE
IMPACT OF BIOTECH CROPS
25-April-2010 Business Mirror
BRUSSELS - A growing body of research
evidence indicates that biotech crops
are delivering higher yields and better
economic performance for farmers around
the world.
In a peer-reviewed article that appears
in the April 2010 edition of Nature
Biotechnology magazine, Janet E. Carpenter
writes that the accumulated evidence
from farmer surveys helps to explain
the widespread and growing popularity
of biotech crops. In her research article,
Carpenter, who has worked on issues
related to agricultural biotechnology
for more than ten years, provides analysis
of 49 peer-reviewed publications reporting
on farmer surveys that compare yields
and other indicators of economic performance
for adopters and non-adopters of currently
commercialized biotech crops.
Research analysis presented by Carpenter
supports the claim that biotech crops
are providing farmers with increased
yields. Citing evidence that 74 percent
of yield comparisons of biotech and
conventional crops showed positive results
for adopters of biotech crops versus
non-adopters, she also noted the impact
the technology is having on farmers
in developing countries.
"The results for yields indicate
that farmers in developing countries
are achieving greater yield increases
than farmers in developed countries.
The average increases for developing
countries range from 16 percent for
insect-resistant corn to 30 percent
for insect-resistant cotton," Carpenter
concluded.
The article also provides evidence of
the overall economic benefit of biotech
crops. "Looking across all measures
of economic performance, the results
are overwhelmingly positive," writes
Carpenter. "Of the 98 results in
our survey of the peer-reviewed literature
that compare the economic performance
of GM crops to their conventional counterparts,
71 indicate a positive economic impact,
11 neutral and 16 negative."
According to the International Service
for the Acquisition of Agri-Biotech
Applications (ISAAA), global adoption
of plant biotechnology increased by
seven percent in 2009. 14 million farmers
in 25 countries grew biotech crops,
over 90 percent of them small farmers
in developing countries.
"The peer-reviewed evidence presented
in Nature Biotechnology continues to
confirm the yield and economic benefits
we have heard from farmers worldwide
for more than a decade," said Denise
Dewar, Executive Director for Plant
Biotechnology at CropLife International.
"Farmers around the world are faced
with changing climates and pest pressures
which make it challenging to achieve
food security for a growing population.
The continued increase in biotech crop
acreage is testament to the simple truth
that farmers, when given the option,
choose biotech crops because of the
benefits they provide."
Other research conclusions in the Nature
Biotechnology article include:
- Biotech crops are a cost efficient
means of producing higher yields. In
most cases reviewed, increased seed
costs (including technology fees)
were offset by reductions in pesticide
costs.
- Farmers are looking to biotech crops
to save time, which saves them
money. A survey of U.S. corn farmers
found that the handling and labour
time savings, human and environmental
safety, reduced yield risk,
equipment cost savings and better standability
of insect-resistant corn
was valued at $10.32 per hectare.
- Biotech crops help conserve soil resources
by facilitating the adoption
of conservation tillage practices.
CropLife International and its members
are committed to making available the
best plant science technologies to help
achieve sufficient, safe and healthy
food production, improved livelihoods
and the preservation of non-renewable
resources.
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KAPNAYAN
Seminar Series 2009
Presentations available for download:
- Applications
of Nanotechnology for the Environment,
Dr. Lorele Trinidad, BIOTECH,
University of the Philippines Los
Baños (UPLB)
- Prospects,
Environmental Impact and Energy Security
Potential of Biofuels in the Philippines,
Dr. Rex Demafelis, UPLB Dept.
of Chemical Engineering
- Environmental
Biotechnology Applications,
Dr. Jessica Simbahan, BIOTECH,
UPLB
- How
Do We Adapt to Climate Change,
Dr. Virginia Cuevas, UPLB Institute
of Biological Sciences
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SEARCA
is in need of the following:
Applications will be received until 07
May 2010 or until a suitable
candidate is found.
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SEARCA
Agriculture and Development Seminar Series (ADSS)
Human-Forest Interaction in Aborlan Guba System, Palawan Island, Philippines: Implications for Conservation and Management
Speaker: Prof. Lita Sopsop, SEARCA
PhD Research Scholar and Professor, Western
Philippines University
SEARCA, College, Laguna, Philippines
04 May 2010, 4:00 - 5:00 PM
Download
SEARCA ADSS presentation handouts here
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