[Askel5]

The Rockefeller Foundation, working in Mexico, has developed something known as miracle wheat, which might be able to take up where the fastly diminishing supply of American grain runs out. And both Rockefeller and Ford, operating through the International Rice Institute in the Philippines, have developed a miracle rice-IR-8-which if produced on a huge scale will do much to save millions of Asians from starvation.

Ever heard of "Miracle Wheat" or "miracle Rice-IR-8"?

[Askel5]

I knew somehow "sustainable" would have worked its way in -- or not -- to the story as it was brought up to date.

I find that last bit interesting as well.

What is it about these religious folks and their fixations on genes and stem cells, which animals they will or won't eat and when and who they will or won't cannibalize for humanitarian research?

As if there is something of the pig in the plant or of the human in the therapeutic clone.

The Rockefeller Foundation, working in Mexico, has developed something known as miracle wheat, which might be able to take up where the fastly diminishing supply of American grain runs out. And both Rockefeller and Ford, operating through the International Rice Institute in the Philippines, have developed a miracle rice-IR-8-which if produced on a huge scale will do much to save millions of Asians from starvation.

Genetically Modified Rice Tests Alarm Philippine Farmers

By Michael Bengwayan

LOS BANOS, Laguna, Philippines, August 17, 2000 (ENS) - Rice farmers in the Philippines are apprehensive about a plan by the International Rice Research Institute, the world largest rice research agency, to field test the controversial genetically modified bacterial blight rice - BB-rice.

The farmers are afraid that entry of genetically modified rice into the Philippines will further deplete traditional rice varieties that are sustainable. They also fear that it will mark the beginning of the monopoly and control of rice seeds by multinational companies.

Some of the thousands of varieties of rice in the world. (Photo courtesy IRRI)

BB-rice is a genetically modified crop of the rice variety IR-72 that is produced by the International Rice Research Institute (IRRI). It is engineered with a gene called XA21 to resist the common rice disease bacterial blight (Xanthomonas oryzae).

Pedring Pangan, a farmer in the town of Calauan still recalls the time when the International Rice Research Institute introduced the so-called "miracle rice," IR-8.

"We planted IR-8 and threw away our traditional seeds," said Pangan. "We had a good first harvest, after that, we harvested almost nothing." IR-8 caused the proliferation of the deadly pest brown planthopper which was the carrier of the deadly rice disease tungro.

The brown planthopper was not limited to the Philippines. At the time it devastated rice fields in India, Indonesia, Thailand and Pakistan - an area covering about one third of Asia's ricelands.

Farmer Tata Gonying Velasco says the use of International Rice Research Institute varieties has not only eroded the diversity of rice the farmers have nurtured for years, it has also wiped out much of farmers' history as "stewards of seeds."

IRRI's genebank in Los Banos, Philippines contains the most comprehensive collection of rice genetic resources on earth. (Photo courtesy IRRI)

But Duncan MacIntosh, information officer for the International Rice Research Institute, disputes and brushes off the farmers' claims. He told ENS in a letter, "IR-8 is recognized around the world as one of the most popular and successful cereal varieties ever developed."

But farmers whose fields are near the test areas are also afraid that the tests on BB-rice may go wrong and genetically modified material may be released into the environment.

Then there is the problem of blight developing a resistance to the BB-rice. According to researcher Devlin Kuyec of the Genetic Resources Action International (GRAIN) who first revealed the Rice Institute's plan to conduct the field tests last July, "The XA21 [gene] is not resistant to all races of bacterial blight. Some bacterial blight races, discovered in 1990 by IRRI itself, can overcome the gene XA21."

"These races exist in the Philippines. So, BB-rice is not a solution to bacterial blight," Kuyec said.

Even Dr. Pamela Ronald who holds the gene's patent with the University of California Davis acknowedges the problem of blight resistance. "Eight existing bacterial blight isolates can overcome XA21. It is a likely possibility that if XA21 is overcome by the resistant bacterial blight strains, then an epidemic of unknown proportions can occur," she said.

Plot of genetically modified rice with gene marker strip (Photo courtesy IRRI)

When that happens, "Bacterial blight disease can spread not only in the Philippines but in Asia like wildfire," Kuyec said.

Robert Verzola, secretary general of the Philippine Green Party and a member of the country's National Committee on Biosafety in the Philippines, agrees. "There is no need to create genetically modified rice to control bacterial blight. Again, we are seeing the creation of a technology intended to solve a problem created by no less than creators of the problem," said Verzola.

But the International Rice Research Institute, which has received government approval to conduct the field tests together with the Department of Agriculture's PHILRICE, still plans to plant the test crops regardless of the arguments made by critics of the BB-rice.

International Rice Research Institute maintains that BB-rice is needed because of the world food crisis. "To ensure food security and to continue against the advancement against poverty in rice consuming countries of the world, farmer will have to produce 40 to 50 percent more rice to meet the consumer demand in 2025."

MacIntosh says the Institute is merely awaiting the approval of the National Committee on Biosafety in the Philipines. Once approval is received, the community where the field tests will be conducted will have 60 days to comment on the tests.

IRRI Researchers work on genetically modifying rice (Photo courtesy IRRI)

The last time a field test was conducted on a genetically engineered crop, corn modified with the naturally occuring pesticide Bacillus thuringiensis, was in Los Banos and in General Santos City. The protest turned ugly.

Thousands of demonstrators, mainly farmers, clashed with police. Five people were injured.

Verzola claims he is the only anti-GMO member of the National Committee on Biosafety in the Philippines. He says the committee will likely approve the BB-rice field test. "But I will strongly vote against it," he said.

Kuyec says the Rice Institute's BB-rice test is a ploy to convince the public of the benign nature and benefits of biotechnology.

Genetically engineered seeds with specific traits can command a very high market value, Kuyec points out. BB-rice could emerge from the field tests as a very valuable commodity for the world's rice farming sector, he said.

What fails to erase suspicion is that the Rice Research Institute has been working closely with giant agrochemical and agribusiness companies in its research on the BB-rice. Its research on BB-rice was done with Novartis and AgrEvo, two companies that are among the top 20 seed corporations who virtually control the global food market.

"Patents on seeds illustrate the extent to which transnational companies want to establish monopolies on life, maximize profit and dominate the world," farmer Leopoldo Guilaran said. He belongs to MASIPAG, a network of scientists and farmers promoting sustainable agriculture in the Philippines.

Floating rice field (Photo courtesy IRRI)

"A patent on seed is a patent on freedom. If you have to pay for patented seeds, its like being forced to purchase your own freedom," said Memong Patayan, another MASIPAG farmer.

MASIPAG recommends six cultural management practices to control bacterial blight instead of planting BB-rice. These include low use of nitrogen fertilizer, adequate irrigation and drainage, seedbanking of blight resistant plants, and maintenance of crop diversity as well as appropriate transplanting and proper disposal of infected plants.

Kuyec says that bacterial blight, a water borne disease aggravated by the use of heavy nitrogen fertilizer, was made worse by the introduction of International Rice Research Institute rice varieties especially the IR 8 in the mid-1960s.

In a related development, lawmaker Wigberto Tanada has filed a congressional bill requiring the mandatory labeling of food and food products containing genetically modified organisms as well as food produced by genetic engineering technology.

Tanada, a former senator who is now a congressman, said, "Besides considerations for risks to human health, all civilizations respect the very basic right of individuals to religious belief."

"Unlabelled GMO food and food products will violate this right," he said. Citing the Muslims, who are subject to religious restrictions against eating pork, Tanada said, "They have the right to know if the food they are eating have been spliced with genes from pigs."