St. Louis, Missouri
December 5, 2002
The Philippines' Department of
Agriculture's Bureau of Plant Industry, the body that reviews
the country's applications for approval of plant biotechnology
products, has given commercial approval to YieldGard Corn Borer,
an insect-protected corn developed by
Monsanto (NYSE: MON).
Filipino farmers will likely begin planting YieldGard Corn Borer
corn over the next few months.
"This decision is good news for Filipino growers who now have an
opportunity to share in the economic and environmental benefits
of YieldGard Corn Borer corn," said Juan Ferreira, Monsanto's
country director for the Philippines. "Where it's grown
commercially, this product has a demonstrated ability to improve
both yields and quality of grain which, in turn, increases
growers' incomes."
This is the first biotech crop to be approved for commercial
planting in the Philippines, and is one of the first biotech
food crops to be approved for planting in Asia. Other approved
biotech crops currently being grown in Asia/Australia include
Monsanto's Bollgard/Ingard insect-protected cotton and Roundup
Ready cotton.
Several other Asian countries including Japan, Korea, Taiwan and
Australia have reviewed the safety of a number biotech crops and
granted import approvals.
"This approval in the Philippines demonstrates that both farmers
and government regulators recognize the safety and benefits of
plant biotechnology, which is why use of these technologies
continues to expand throughout the world," said Robb Fraley,
Ph.D., chief technology officer of Monsanto.
"This acceptance is driven by the overwhelming benefits of
biotechnology, such as significant reduction in pesticide use."
The recent approval by the Philippines' Department of
Agriculture was based in part on local field trial results that
demonstrated significant increases in yield and a reduced need
for insecticide applications, which will potentially increase
farmers' incomes.
"Ultimately, the adoption of technology like YieldGard Corn
Borer corn has the potential to improve the self-sufficiency of
many Filipino farmers and the Filipino agriculture industry,"
said Ferreira.
In addition to its commercial products, Monsanto shares its
knowledge and technologies on a non-commercial basis with
public-sector partners to benefit subsistence farmers and the
environment in Asia and throughout the world.
For example, Monsanto is participating in work to develop
virus-resistant papayas in the Philippines and other countries
in Southeast Asia, and has contributed to the international
project to sequence the rice genome.
Monsanto Company is a leading provider of agricultural
solutions to growers worldwide. Monsanto's employees provide
top-quality, cost-effective and integrated approaches to help
farmers improve their productivity and produce better quality
foods.
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