Presidential Adviser for Job Creation and Agriculture Luis Lorenzo Jr. urged the government "to push the agricultural sector forward" with the commercialization of a pest-resistant corn variety that produces higher yield than those presently used in Philippine farms.

Lorenzo issued the call following the intensified research launched by several Asian countries on biotechnology application in agriculture leading to the commercialization of biotech-processed seeds. India has taken the lead with its recent approval of the commercialization of biotechnology-processed cotton.

Earlier, Lorenzo said in press interview that increased farm productivity could result in the creation of countryside-based jobs. He said productivity would mean additional manpower requirement for harvest and post-harvest activities, as well as for new enterprises that will be created with capital coming from increased farm revenues.

The biotech corn variety is also widely used in the US, Canada, and several Latin American countries. The Philippines imports about 25 percent of its corn requirements for livestock feed from these countries.

China, Thailand and Indonesia are also conducting tests for the possible commercialization of biotech crops. Indonesia recently planted some 10,000 hectares of farmland with biotech cotton.

Lorenzo said agriculture "must be technology-based instead of resource-based if the country is to get any closer to food sufficiency and security." He specifically called for the adoption of agricultural technologies "that will help our farmers achieve greater yield despite the diminishing amount of available farmland."

The Philippines is currently testing Yieldgard in several trial farms throughout the country. Agricultural specialists reviewing its performance disclosed that the variety could increase farm harvests by up to 30 percent with significantly less application of insecticide.