The Philippines

Since biotech corn was commercialized in the Philippines in late 2002, its adoption has increased consistently every year. The benefits of biotech corn to Filipino farmers' livelihood, income and health have been well-studied and documented. However, biotech corn's journey in the Philippines starting with Bt corn continues to evolve as new agricultural problems emerged. Research institutions have developed herbicide tolerant (HT) corn followed by stacked traits corn varieties that have both pest resistance and herbicide tolerance. In 2012, stacked traits accounted for 85% of the total biotech area in the country. About 375,000 resource-poor farmers are estimated to be benefiting from the technology.

This 10-minute video presents an updated story of biotech corn in the Philippines, a decade after its commercialization. It complements the first ISAAA video entitled "Asia's First: The Bt Corn Story in the Philippines".

Website: http://www.isaaa.org

Published: April 10, 2013