Philippines: GM corn bankrupts farmers
Consumers International, 18 September 2012
http://www.consumersinternational.org/news-and-media/news/2012/09/corn

Whatever the arguments around the health risks of consuming genetically-modified (GM) food, the conditions under which many GM crop farmers have to toil means this an issue for anyone who cares about the impact of their purchasing choices.

An estimated 270,000 small-hold farmers in the Philippines are being forced to grow GM corn and ending up in debt as a result.

These are the findings of a recent study by CI member IBON and MASIPAG, a farmer-led network of people's organisations, non-government organisations and scientists.

The farmers are at the mercy of seed suppliers and lenders who are one-in-the-same in the country.

This despite claims from the country's Department of Agriculture promoting the production of GM corn, claiming that the cost of production is cheaper, therefore, switching will improve farmers' incomes.

However, given that the suppliers and the financiers are the same, the farmers have little choice but to switch if they need help with financing.

The study also indicates that the news being spread by the Philippines' Department of Agriculture that farmers now prefer planting GM Bt-corn is not correct.

More seeds, more cost

As a result of the increased planting of GM corn, the cost of the corn seeds has risen 282% from its introductory price, now accounting for 18-21% of a farmer's total cost of production.

The cost of fertilizer is also on the rise, and now accounts for around 23% of the total cost of producing GM corn. Interest payments now account for 26% of the total.

Even Roundup, the herbicide which had been packaged with the GM corn seeds, is now sold separately.

Bad for the environment, bad for health

The IBON study notes that producing GM corn has an adverse impact on the environment and on people's health. For instance, farmers said that although they would have a good harvest initially, the crop needs increasing volumes of fertilizers and agro-chemicals because of increased pestilence.

Also, the herbicide-tolerant Bt-corn requires increasing use of glyphosate, the active ingredient in Roundup, the herbicide made by Monsanto, the agrochemical corporation that introduced Bt-corn and later, Roundup-ready GM corn in the country.

With regard to health, the study finds that farmers have experienced stomach pains, diarrhoea, chest pains, itching and skin allergies after prolonged exposure to Bt-corn. Farmers and their families have also experienced numbness of lips and tongue after eating young GM corn.

No monitoring

Despite being standard protocol, the research has found that the Bureau of Plant Industry, the country's GM crops monitoring agency, has not conducted any post monitoring on the impact of GM corn.

IBON calls on the government to follow all protocols before any additional GM crops are released in the Philippines, including conducting a thorough assessment of the effects of GM corn. IBON also asks that they look into the real impact on farmers, including their livelihood, incomes and overall welfare.

The field research includes GM corn areas in Pangasinan, Isabela, Capiz, Iloilo, Bukidnon, South Cotabato, and Sultan Kudarat.