After a mini-farmers exchange with Indonesian delegates in 2024, the program is back to its feet and held its 17th Pan-Asia Farmers Exchange Program last May 20-24, 2024 in the Philippines.
A total of 40 participants from China, India, Indonesia, Japan, Malaysia, Philippines, Taiwan, Thailand and Vietnam attended this year’s program.
On May 20, the participants were greeted by Ms. Sonny Tababa, CropLife Asia’s (CLA) Plant Biotech Affairs Director and Ms. Thelma Soriano, CLA Seed Regulatory Affairs Director, as they arrive and register at The Manila Hotel. Ms. Rhoda Yumang, Biotechnology Coalition of the Philippines (BCP) and Ms. Winsper Jriej , CLA, distributed their registration kits. The participants were officially welcomed by Mr. Ramon Abadilla, Executive Director, CropLife Philippines (CLP), while Ms. Tababa gave a brief overview of the activities for the week. CLP Seeds Team representatives also attended and warmly received the arriving participants.
On May 21, the 2nd day of the program, Mr. Abadilla, delivered the opening remarks on behalf of Mr. Jan Alfred Samson, CLP President. And Dr. Saturnina Halos, President, BCP, gave a great presentation on the Introduction to Biotechnology and Biosafety, while Ms. Sheeb Kaiserin Exconde from the Biotechnology Office, Bureau of Plant Industry (BPI) discussed the Philippine Biosafety Regulations on Plants Derived from Modern Biotechnology: GMOs virtually.
After a quick break, Ms. Jenny Panopio, CLA Associate Director for Stewardship and Stakeholder Partnership, presented the different stewardship programs and platforms of CropLife Asia.
And this was followed by the presentation of Insect Resistance Management for Biotech Corn and Weed Resistance Management by Dr. Joel Adorada from the BPI – Biotechnology Core Team – Post Approval Monitoring Group.
Moreover, Mr. Abadilla presented CropLife Philippines’ program – The Sustainable Crop Production in Sloping Areas; and Dr. Lolita Dolores, a scientist from the Philippine Phytopathological Society (PPS) presented their program, in partnership with CLP – the Plant Doctors on the Go.
In the afternoon, each country representative shared information about their biotechnology status and experiences in their own countries.
Ms. Sonny Tababa also prepared a breakout group session wherein the participants were able to work together in creating sensible sentences with the group of words given to them.
On May 22, the participants got ready to travel to the University of the Philippines Los Baños (UPLB) – National Institute of Molecular Biology and Biotechnology (BIOTECH) and were formally welcomed by Dr. Ronilo Violanta, Program Leader and Deputy Director for Operations, and Ms. Belinda Lucille Costales, Admin Officer. The first presentation was about Biofertilizer, Biostimulants and Microbial Pesticide for Sustainable Agriculture, Resilience and Awareness, presented by Dr. Jocelyn T. Zarate.
This was followed by Dr. Edwin Alcantara’s study on Insect Resistance Management for Bt corn in the Philippines: Principles and Practices, and Mr. Nico Dumandan’s discussion on BIOTECH’s Animal Feed Technologies. The topics were of great interest to the participants and they participated actively in the discussions. The visit ended in the with a Pilot Plant Tour wherein the participants got to see the actual machines used by the institute. Engr Mark Anthony Badua led the participants and demonstrated some of the equipment.
In the afternoon, the group visited the UPLB-Institute of Plant Breeding (UPLB-IPB) and was well-received by the UPLB-IPB team. Dr. Alma Salinas, Division Head, Crop Biotechnology Division discussed about what IPB does including Gene Discovery, Characterization and Regulation, while Dr. Lourdes Taylo, Project Leader, Bt Eggplant Project, presented the Bt Talong (Eggplant): Product Development, Regulatory Approval, Benefits and Commercialization of GM Eggplant in the Philippines.
On May 23, a very early morning bus ride was waiting for the participants as they travel to Pangasinan to visit the gm corn farms – Syngenta’s Fields of Innovation and Technology and the commercial farm of a Filipino gm corn farmer.
The group was greeted by the Syngenta Team, arranged by Ms. Ma. Emeru Rodriguez and Ms. Lynne Arevalo, members of the CropLife Philippines Seeds Team. The fields showcased the difference of the conventional corn (no Bt protein) and the gm corn, the importance of refuge and the newest commercially available gm corn, which is already resistant to the infamous fall armyworm.
The highlight of the visit was the sharing of experiences of actual gm corn farmers – Farmer Arnold Garcia and Farmer Luis De Vera. The participants were able to see and explore the biotech corn commercial farm nearby. The farmers talked about how their income improved, making their lives and livelihood better when they started planting gm corn. They are very happy to know that with gm corn, their harvest is protected and it gives them peace of mind.
In the afternoon, Corteva Agriscience Production Plant was visited. The Corteva team led by Mr. Ronel Leabres, the Plant Operations Manager, cheerfully received the group and discussed how Corteva produce the corn seeds from planting to packaging – ensuring its high quality seeds. The participants also geared up with PPEs as they tour the plant and see where the harvests are loaded, sorted, packed, and stored. The participants were also able to see the Corteva Laboratory Facility which is internationally accredited to receive and test different seed samples from various countries.
On May 24, the last day of the program, participants have gathered once again at the Manila Hotel conference room and avidly listened to the Dr. Gabriel Romero, Executive Director, Philippine Seed Industry Association, who presented the Plant Breeding Innovations: Applications, Global Trends and Philippine Policy, and Dr. Rhodora Romero – Aldemita, Executive Director, International Service for the Acquisition of Agri-biotech Applications Inc. (ISAAA), who presented Experiences in Communicating Biotechnology.
Before the actual program ended, Dr. Siang Hee Tan, Executive Director, CropLife Asia; Mr. Abadilla and Dr. Aldemita delivered their closing messages for everyone. Moreover, representatives from the different countries also gave their feedback and short message regarding the program. Each participant was given a Certificate of Participation.
