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corn variety that can resist corn borer that normally has
infestation during rainy season, June-October. Bt corn
is a variety of corn for animal feed.
On February 8, 2005, the corn NK 603 gene, also a
property of Monsanto, was approved by the Department
of Agriculture for propagation. The NK 603 gene
makes a corn variety to tolerate to Glyphosate, an active
ingredient of Roundup herbicide, the world most
popular herbicide produced by Monsanto. The corn
inserted with NK 603 gene is called RR or “Roundup
Ready corn”. 13
Although the Ministry of Agriculture did not limit
geographical area that could plant Bt corn, the corn
was only planted for commercial purpose in certain
areas. Southern Mindanao such as the provinces of
South Cotabato, North Cotabato, Sultan Kudarat, and
Central Luzon’s Isabella.
The total cultivated area of Bt corn field is unclear.
The Ministry of Agriculture 14 said it did not have any
system to monitor Bt corn cultivated area. There are
at least three figures of the total cultivated area of Bt
corn in 2003—an economist from University of the
Philippines, Los Banos, said 10,769 hectare, while
Council of Biotechnology Information said it is 49,000
acre or about 19,992 ha, and a local online newspaper
said it is 24,000 ha. The irony is all three groups said
the figure they referred to received from ISAAA, a nongovernmental
organization set up and financed by seeds
and agrichemical transnational corporations.
RIGHT TO CHOOSE BUT NO CHOICE
Unlike Indonesia, Bt corn reached Filipino farmers
without any contract. The seeds became just available
through the market system. It is possible that Filipino
farmers are not desperate as Indonesians are. In every
district, there is an agricultural co-operative to provide
soft loan for farmers who run out of capital for farming.
For the government and seed companies, Bt corn is just
an “alternative” for farmers.
The price of Bt corn seeds is double the price of non-
Bt corn hybrid seeds. It varies between Php4,200
and Php4,500 depending on the payment method of
farmers—cash or credit—while an average price of
non-Bt hybrid corn is around Php2,100. (See table 2
for detail) “If you are a farmer, you are a businessman.
You buy a seed which you can afford. Some varieties
in the market are available for a long term and they
are cheap.…You have to make a decision, if you want
to plant a protected variety it is expensive but you can
THE STATE, DEVELOPMENT AND GLOBALIZATION
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make more profit,” said Choy Mamaril, of Bureau of
Plant Industry, The Ministry of Agriculture.
Table 2: Comparative price between Bt corn seed and
non Bt-corn hybrid seeds. (Price per one sack (16 kgs).
Type of seed 30-day credit period 120-day credit period
Year 2004 Year 2005 Year 2004 Year 2005
30Y84 Php4,200 Php4,300 Php4,400 Php4,700
3014 Php2,100 Php2,200 Php2,225 Php2,400
30Y50 Php4,200 Php4,300 Php4,400 Php4,700
30M50 Php2,400 Php2,400 Php2,525 Php2,650
30Y49 Php4,200 Php4,300 Php4,400 Php4,700
30M49 Php1,850 Php1,950 Php1,950 Php2,150
30Y73 Php4,200 Php4,300 Php4,400 Php4,700
3013 - - - -
DK818YG Php4,500 Php5,000 - -
DK818 Php2,100 - - -
– Bt varieties – Non Bt hybrid varieties
The non-Bt variety is a parent material of the Bt variety shown on
the above line.
Source: Interview with a seed supplier in Santo Nino, South
Cotabato.
Although Mamaril insisted that farmers have rights to
choose the seed variety they prefer, there is a sign implies
that all non Bt-corn hybrid seeds will be pulled out of
the market and replaced by Bt or other varieties of GM
corn very soon. Bebot Panaranda, seeds and agricultural
input supplier in Santo Nino, South Cotabato, discloses
that in 2004, Pioneer Hi-Bred decreased its supply for
ordinary hybrid seeds by 20 per cent and replaced by its
Bt corn seeds. For Bebot, the tactic is not a new strategy,
once it was used to introduce high yield varieties to the
farmers during the Green Revolution.
“I believe within 25 years from now, only GM seeds will
be available in the market, no more non-Bt [hybrid]
seeds,” said Bebot.
Besides the direct control of the market, seeds companies
also received support from the government in promoting
Bt corn. The Ministry of Agricultural has a project called
“GMA Corn Care” which aims to promote hybrid corn
varieties, which have higher yielding when compared to
traditional varieties. The “GMA Corn Care” program
provides loan with low interest to farmers who plant
hybrid corn varieties. Since Bt corn is a variety of hybrid
corn, those who grow Bt Corn become eligible to get
the loan under the “GMA Corn Care” program.
The Ministry of Agriculture launched another intensive
program for Bt corn growers. The program called “Grain
Highway” received financial support from Quedancor, a
Ref lections on the Human Condition: Change, Conflict and Modernity
The Work of the 2004/2005 API Fellows