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Commies’ sham case versus Bt corn
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Masipag News & Views
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Sep 20, 2001 20:33 PDT
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This commentary was published at the regular business column "Questions
of Policies" by Mr. Honesto C. General of the Philippine Daily Inquirer,
the largest national daily in the Philippines. This was also posted at
the newspaper's web page inq7.net. Comments may be sent to
feed-@inquirer.com.ph)
COMMIES' SHAM CASE VERSUS BT CORN
By Honesto C. General
September 16, 2001
ABOUT 25 years ago, I planted 30 hectares of corn on my farm in the
foothills of Mount Isarog at the far edge of my hometown, Naga City. I
wanted to raise corn yield in the area by supplying farmers with
registered seeds. All of us would make more money.
The project was a disaster. First, the weather had to cooperate and
there was nothing you could do if it did not. Then, every step--land
preparation, planting, fertilizing, weeding, spraying, harvesting,
storing, shelling, and, finally, marketing--had to be taken with precise
timing. Above all, I was constantly fighting army worms, cut worms, leaf
rollers, corn borers, and corn ear worms. After two cropping seasons, I
realized corn farming was far riskier than insurance. I cut my losses
and decided to concentrate on selling insurance.
This is why I am interested in the sham case raised by communist front
organizations disguised as farmers groups against Bt corn. These groups
warn us of impoverished corn farmers scratching out a living from a
devastated and poisoned land.
What is Bt corn? Bt stands for Bacillus thuringiensis, a bacterium used
as a biological insecticide marketed worldwide for control of many plant
pests, mainly caterpillars of butterflies and moths. If you buy a
biological insecticide from any agricultural supply store, the chances
are it contains Bt.
Bt corn, first marketed in 1996, is genetically engineered to contain
the toxin-producing gene of the Bacillus thuringiensis. Each and every
cell of Bt corn is toxic, but only to the target insects. When a
caterpillar attacks and feeds on a Bt corn plant, the alkalinity of the
caterpillar’s gut activates the toxin that kills the pest. The farmer
saves on insecticide and spraying equipment. He need not patrol his farm
for any signs of pests. Bt corn has its own round-the-clock, built-in
defense against pests.
The old-time spraying of insecticides is very inefficient. Most of the
insecticides falls on the ground and wasted. The spray kills not only
the targeted but also the non-targeted insects. Above all, spraying is
dangerous to the farmer’s health.
There was a furor over a lab test in the States that killed monarch
butterflies fed with Bt corn pollen. Field tests now going on show that
toxicity to monarch butterflies is minimal. Final results are expected
in a couple of months.
Last year, American farmers planted 20 million acres (8 million
hectares) of Bt corn. So, it is not as if American corn seed producers
want to foist on the Philippines something that has not worked in the
States.
But why are field tests being run here if Bt corn has already been
proven successful elsewhere? Because Bt corn that is effective on the
European corn borer may not be effective on the Mindanao borer. If it
works on the Mindanao borer, it may not work on the Cebu or Ilocos or
Bicol borer.
Fighting Philippine pests
Commies claim that the farmer will have to buy the weed killer Roundup
from the seed producer, raising production costs. If he is going to
plant expensive Bt corn seeds, and make more money, he had better
protect his field with the best weed killer available.
The farmer used to save the best ears of his corn crop for seeds for the
next season, but usually lost 50-80 percent of these seeds to pests and
vermin. Nowadays, he sells his entire crop. He does not store seeds. In
due time, he goes to the store to buy seeds. Today, seed production is a
specialized line of farming.
If Bt corn will succeed in fighting Philippine pests, and there is every
reason that it will, then corn yield will rise. Farmers will have more
income. There will be less need to import corn for our poultry and
livestock.
Commies keep saying Bt corn is another attempt by multinational
companies at huge profits that will eventually impoverish even more our
poor farmers. Commies are scared the field tests will succeed. The poor
farmers will then make more money and will be less vulnerable to commie
propaganda.
Commies are mouthing issues raised by Europeans. But Europeans have no
problem on food security and nutritional value. So, they are more
concerned with the environment and human health. A Third World country
like the Philippines, struggling to feed a fast-growing populace, should
rank food security as its topmost priority.
If Bt corn were available 25 years ago, I would probably still be a
money-making corn farmer today.
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