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Panganiban bats for
agricultural modernization AGRICULTURE Secretary Domingo Panganiban is confident of coping with highly-developed countries in terms of production through the application of modern biotechnology in agriculture. According to Panganiban, the country may be leading in the field of biotechnology in Southeast Asia. “A country like the Philippines with less area to talk about in terms of food security needs to optimize its technology,” he said. The secretary also pointed out the need for good seed-testing laboratories and strengthening support services for the seeds to properly germinate in the fields. According to Panganiban, even farm waste can be put into productive use. Through biotechnology, agricultural waste can be converted into organic fertilizers that will benefit both the farmers and the environment. Genetically modified crops are being developed to increase yield and reduce production cost – particularly harmful chemicals such as pesticides -which has been proven in the case of corn, with the genetically modified Bt corn that can resist the dreaded Asian corn borer. Aside from Bt corn, several transgenic crops are currently in the pipeline like the genetically modified papaya with delayed ripening trait and the ring spot virus-resistant breed. Also within the next two years, a genetically modified eggplant will be released for commercial production. The Philippine Rice Research Institute (Philrice) and the International Rice Research Institute (IRRI), on the other hand are developing vitamin-enriched rice through genetic engineering. The application of biotechnology can actually modernize the use of organic fertilizers and maximize the proper use of water in crop agriculture to produce more and better farm output that will help spur economic growth. Panganiban emphasized that he wants organic fertilizers to go hand-in-hand with modern technology to ease the farmers’ burden, and teams that would promote organic fertilizer production has already been organized. The agriculture department’s head also suggested that the government should not focus its biotechnology research and development efforts solely on rice. “We should also improve our mango, pineapple, banana, virgin coconut oil, and sugar through biotechnology,” he said. In line with the DA’s stand on the agriculture sector’s modernization dilemma, Panganiban advised his managers to maximize their allocation in identifying resource areas for better rice and corn production. He has given the go signal for the DA to ease pressure to increase rice imports by increasing rice production in Visayas and Mindanao, where it has become the staple food. He added that with the national government’s support, the DA expects to provide ordinary farmers the necessary technology in modernizing agriculture to increase production output and help increase farmers’ income. |
