Sunday, February 11, 2007
Negros eyes total ban on GMOs
DUMAGUETE CITY -- Negros officials and representatives from the private sector believe that in a few years, a shared goal of making the island the organic food bowl of Asia can be achieved.
But amid efforts to go totally organic, there is at least one serious hitch that needs to be addressed immediately the use of genetically-engineered (GE) farm produce such as the Bt corn.
At a press conference Wednesday evening at the start of the 2nd Negros Island Organic Farmers Festival held in this capital city, officials say they are now looking at the possibility of drafting and passing a joint legislative measure that will ban the use of Genetically Modified Organisms or GMOs on the island.
"We should really ban the use of GMOs, but how do we police them?" asked Eduardo Uy Chiat, a trustee of the Negros Island Sustainable Rural Agricultural Development (Nisard).
Bt corn is a genetically-engineered hybrid variety that integrates the bacteria bacillus thuringiensis in its genetic make-up to make the crop resistant to the Asiatic corn borer, a pest that can cause damaging infestations.For more Philippine news, visit Sun.Star General Santos. For Bisaya stories from Davao. Click here. (February 11, 2007 issue)
Write letter to the editor.Click here.
Join the Sun.Star message board.Click here. |
