MANILA, Philippines, Feb. 14 /PRNewswire-FirstCall/ -- The Philippines Department of Agriculture's Bureau of Plant Industry, the body that reviews applications for approval of plant biotechnology products, has given commercial approval to Roundup Ready Corn developed by Monsanto Company . This approval is expected to lead to an increased number of biotechnology acres planted in that country as growers realize the value of the technology.

"The new approval in the Philippines indicates that countries around the world continue to recognize the safety and benefits of agricultural biotechnology products," said Brett Begemann, Executive Vice President of International Commercial for Monsanto.

The approval comes after a four-year process under the strict supervision and oversight of the National Committee on Biosafety of the Philippines (NCBP) and agencies of the Department of Agriculture.

Roundup Ready Corn is Monsanto Philippines' second biotech crop approval. This means that Filipino farmers now have access to the most advanced agriculture technology available in Asia, in support of the national government's focus on food security and poverty alleviation. Roundup Ready crops allow growers to use Roundup glyphosate-based agricultural herbicides over the top of growing plants, thereby offering more effective weed control with an herbicide that has a favorable environmental profile.

In December 2002 YieldGard Corn Borer insect-protected corn was approved for propagation, which set a milestone for Philippine agriculture as the first biotech food crop approved in Asia. YieldGard Corn Borer corn was planted on 54,000 hectares (133,000 acres) in 2004, benefiting mostly small-holder Filipino farmers. The product has a demonstrated ability to improve both yields and quality of grain that, in turn, increases growers' incomes.

Together, these technologies will set the stage for enhanced production of crops that will assist in achieving food security and the acceleration of the agricultural economy. The Philippines currently imports 1 million metric tons of corn every year.

According to the International Service for the Acquisition of Agri-biotech Applications (ISAAA), the estimated global area of approved biotech crops for 2004 was 81 million hectares (200 million acres), up from 67.7 million hectares (167 million acres) in 2003. Biotech crops were grown by approximately 8.25 million farmers in 17 countries during 2004, with 90 percent of the farmers being resource-poor farmers in developing countries.

Monsanto Company is a leading provider of agricultural solutions to growers worldwide. Monsanto's employees provide top-quality, cost-effective and integrated approaches to help farmers improve their productivity and produce better quality foods. For more information on Monsanto, see: http://www.monsanto.com/ .