The International Service for the Acquisition of Agribiotech Applications (ISAAA) challenged the Philippines to take the lead in the production of genetically modified (GM) crops in Asia.

Clive James, chairman and founder of ISAAA, said the Philippines is considered one of the 23 leading countries in the world that continues to expand the planting of biotech crops.

“This is not the time to be modest. This is the time to be bold,” said James in a press briefing in Makati City Thursday.

In its latest report entitled “2007 Global Status of Commercialized GM/Biotech Crops,” ISAAA disclosed that the biotech-crop area grew by 12 percent to 114.3 million hectares, the second-highest area increase in the past five years.

ISAAA noted that the number of developing countries planting biotech crops (12 against 11) surpassed the number of industrialized countries, and the growth rate in the developing world was three times that of industrialized nations (21 percent compared with 6 percent).

Last year the Philippines was considered as one of the growth areas as farmlands planted to Bacillus thuringiensis (Bt) corn expanded to 250,000 hectares of farmland or 25-percent more than areas planted to Bt corn in 2006.

James noted that Asia will be a key growth area in GM crop production during the second decade of biotech commercialization, or from 2006 to 2015.

“If we are to achieve the Millennium Development Goals [MDGs] of cutting hunger and poverty in half by 2015, biotech crops must play an even bigger role in the next decade,” he said.

ISAAA noted that biotech crops have delivered unprecedented benefits that contribute toward the MDGs, particularly in countries like China, India and South Africa.

MDGs are eight goals to be achieved by 2015 that respond to the world’s main development challenges.

In 2007 ISAAA report noted that the United States, Argentina, Brazil, Canada, India and China continue to be the principal adopters of biotech crops globally.

“I predict that the number of biotech countries, crops, traits, area and farmers will all grow substantially in the second decade of adoption,” said James.