INNOVATIONS in biotechnology can help the country increase crop output and boost its goal of achieving self-sufficiency in food production, the Department of Agriculture’s Biotechnology Program Office (DA-BPO) said on Wednesday.
Dr. Antonio Alfonso, director of the DA-BPO, said in a statement that biotechnology can also help prepare farmers adapt to climate change.
“Biotechnology can be used to improve the characteristics of crops, and it has been used in the development of climate-ready crops,” Alfonso said.
He said tissue culture, a biotechnology tool, is being used by the DA’s High-Value Crops Development Program in propagating coconut, abaca and banana-planting materials massively.
“Biotechnology was also used in developing natural health products from indigenous Philippine plants and in the development of biopesticides for the control of insects that attack jackfruit and other crop commodities,” Alfonso said.
He said Presidential Proclamation 1414, issued in 2007, stipulates that the government must promote the safe and responsible use of biotechnology as one of the several means to achieve and sustain food security, equitable access to health services, sustainable and safe environment, and industry development.
Alfonso made the pronouncement in his speech during a forum on biotechnology held recently at the University of the Philippines in Diliman, Quezon City.
The forum, organized by JBurgos Media Services, in partnership with the Biotechnology Coalition of the Philippines, is supported by the DA-BPO. It was held as part of the celebration of the 10th National Biotechnology Week.
Alfonso noted that because of rapid population growth, agricultural lands are reduced, as rice fields are converted into subdivisions.
“As our farmlands shrink, we are faced with the challenge of producing more food, feed, fiber and even biofuel,” he said.
Alfonso said biotechnology was vital in the development of drought-and flood-tolerant crops to prop up food output.