The non-profit International Service for the Acquisition of Agri-biotech Applications (ISAAA) is calling on the government to strengthen support for genetically modified (GM) crops, saying this will boost harvests and crop quality across the country.
At present, corn, rice, eggplant and cotton are approved for commercial planting in the Philippines. However, GM rice and eggplant remain on hold due to separate legal challenges questioning their safety.
ISAAA manager Kristine Grace Tome noted Filipino farmers have grown biotech corn since 2003, with over 673,000 farmers benefiting from the technology in that time. In 2024 alone, biotech corn covered 709,000 hectares of farmland, supporting both local growers and the country’s poultry and livestock sectors that depend on quality corn feed.
The Philippines was the first Southeast Asian nation to approve and plant a biotech crop, starting with corn in 2002 and 2003 respectively. Tome appealed for clear rules: “We need a law that ensures farmers can use approved crops even when complaints are filed, to protect scientists’ work and benefit everyone.”
Corteva Agriscience official Dr. Antonio Alfonso added that 85 percent of corn grown in the Philippines is now GM, 90 percent of which is produced locally. He said GM corn delivers 23.5 percent more yield than conventional varieties.
GM crops are typically bred to resist pests, weeds and disease, offer better nutrition, and withstand harsh weather like droughts or floods. Alfonso said these traits are vital amid rising global food demand and limited resources.
He emphasized that the Philippines has proven biotech can work at scale, but these gains require consistent, science-based policies to keep innovation going, ensure farmers have access, and maintain investor trust.
