President
Benigno S. Aquino III had expressed support in biotechnology research including
Golden Rice, a new type of rice that produces beta carotene.
In a
speech delivered by Department of Agriculture Sec. Proceso J. Alcala during the
recent 7th International Rice Genetics Symposium in Makati, Aquino
said that scientific research is needed to ensure stable food and enough rice
for Filipinos.
“From
developing healthier, more cost effective varieties of rice like Golden Rice
and Submarino Rice, to improving best practices and technologies for rice
production, to diversifying our agricultural output through biotechnological
research as seen in the high quality corn we produce, indeed, you are not only
contributing to the advancement of agricultural and scientific research; more
importantly, you are all working to build a more sustainable future for all our
peoples,” the President said.
Addressing
more than 700 scientists and researchers in plant breeding and genetics,
Aquino, however, stressed that “research and the use of biotechnology in food
products must be done in a safe and responsible manner.”
In
an August interview aired after militants vandalized a Golden Rice field trial
in Bicol, Alcala, said that “no one has the right to stop experiments [on
genetically-modified crops], such as the Golden Rice study, as long as proper
safety procedures are followed.”
In
the five trial sites of Golden Rice, local leaders and farmers have also issued
resolutions backing up the research.
The
Philippine Farmers’ Advisory Board, an advisory body to the National Food
Authority and other government agencies dealing with grain-related industries,
resolved to “support the ongoing conduct and completion of the field trials of
Golden Rice in the country [and encourage] the Philippine Rice Research
Institute to continue its
information-education activities to farmer-stakeholders and the general
public.”
The
corn farmers, through the National Corn Congress and Philippine Maize-
Federation Inc., also passed a resolution to the Philippine government to issue
policies upholding the field trial of genetically modified (GM) crops believing
that they are safe and beneficial not only to the farmers but to the country.
Meanwhile,
the Philippine Association of Nutrition, an association of nutrition experts,
scientists, and academicians, also hopes that “no further disruptions will
hinder the completion of research on
Golden
Rice as an additional potential intervention to vitamin A deficiency,” which,
they said, remains a public health problem in the country despite significant
reduction based on the 2008 National Nutrition Survey.
The
National Academy of Science and Technology and more than 6,000 people from the
global sectors have also signed an online petition condemning the vandalism of
one Golden Rice field trial in August.
Golden
Rice research is ongoing and would need to pass food, feed, and environmental
safety before it can be made available to farmers and consumers.
For
more information about the Golden Rice project, visit www.philrice.gov.ph or
call/text 09209111398. (PhilRice)
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