Productivity and safety is a very important concern of many farmers in the world, Mr. Reynaldo Cabanao, founding member and Board of Director of PhilMaze and incumbent National President of Asian Farmer’s Network (ASFARNET) highlighted in a phone patch interview.
Cabanao said that as a farmer who wants to attain high yield of any crops, he would rather use regulated seeds rather than counterfeit seeds.
Though, he explained that he cannot blame some of his co-farmers in using fake or unregistered seeds because of financial or production cost issue. But production cost or high price of regulated BT corn seeds is not anymore an issue if your farmland is three (3) hectare and above because of the assured high productivity of BT corn and even other regulated seeds.
“Kung isang ektarya lang ang tinataniman ng magsasaka o mas mababa sa 3 ektarya, talagang mas bibilhin nya ang unregistered seeds para kumita ng konti at hindi yung balik puhunan lang halos kasi nga mahal talaga ang registered seeds …kaya lang aminado naman na walang kasiguraduhan sa aanihin dahil karanasan yun ng iba naming mga kasama.” Cabanao, added.
Mr. Reynaldo Cabanao, is the incumbent President, Chairman of the Board of ASFARNET Philippines (2016-2019) and sits in the Regional Agriculture and Fisheries Council, Region 10 as Chair of the Sub-Committee on Farm Mechanization. He studied BS Agriculture (1976-1980) at Xavier University, Cagayan De Oro City, Mindanao, Southern Philippines where he later worked as an Agriculture Extension Service Officer bearing Sustainable Agriculture as flagship program (1981-1991) before getting involved in NGO special projects notably the Tripartite Approach in Agriculture and Rural Development (TRIPARRD) which was then implemented by PHILDHRRA.
Meanwhile, in an interview with Scientist Gabriel O. Romero during the Monsanto seed processing plant visit in Pulilan, he said that counterfeit seeds is becoming an alarming issue because it causing failure in farmers’ yield and technology, including the seed industry.
The research and development of seed manufacturers is quite expensive because it takes decades before reaching to its seed registration, considering that prior to its registration seed companies should comply with the regulatory policies, both international and local.
Monsanto’s Senior Regulatory and Scientific Affairs Lead Gabby Romero said that their company pioneered Bt corn planting in the Philippines in 2002-2003, Today, there are seven (7) companies are engaged in Bt corn supply some of which have not gone through the difficult process for technology approval of the Department of Agriculture and Bureau of Plant Industry (DA, BPI). In fact, they did not invested into technology development unlike Monsanto. “They copied the Bt corn in their hybrids illegally. BPI already issued a list of authorized (Bt corn) suppliers. Hopefully that will reach (farmers’ knowledge on) procurement,” he said.
Dr. Gabby Romero of Monsanto said that it is unfair to companies like them of the proliferation of counterfeit biotechnology seeds in the market because they are the one who complied and financed the breakthrough for the humanity, to feed the world and improved the lives of the farmers.
Romero said that the government should take necessary and immediate action because that puts at risk investments in agriculture and poses threat of decline of farmers’ yield and income.
In the presentation conducted during the plant visit, Romero showed that counterfeit seeds come in several forms. First is the “ukay ukay” which involves pilferage or theft of seeds from seed production areas. It accounts for around 6% of market share in Mindanao and 2% nationwide. Another is the “sige sige” seeds. Instead of F1 or first generation seeds, these are already second generation seeds or the offspring of F1 seeds which already lose the vigor and trait of authentic Bt corn seeds.
True to its ideals in Monsanto, they are not only compliant to the regulations of the government in many countries, but as well, the assurance of quality of Bt corn seeds in the Philippines and quality of service because of the people working in Monsanto are aligned.# (Cathy Cruz)
