CropLife Asia and CropLife Philippines actively participated in the multistakeholder forum, “Responsible Innovation: Ensuring Product Stewardship in Crop Biotech” on Oct 8, 2024 in the Philippines, which aims to discuss the importance of product stewardship for regulatory compliance and sustainable use of biotech products. This hybrid (combination of in-person and online via zoom attendees) event was organized by the International Service for the Acquisition of Agri-biotech Applications, Inc (ISAAA Inc), in collaboration with the Philippine Agriculture and Fisheries Biotechnology Program (DA – Biotech Program).
Ms. Jenny Panopio, Associate Director of the Stewardship and Stakeholder Partnership at CropLife Asia (CLA), discussed the stewardship programs of the plant science industry in the three focus areas – Integrated Pest Management, Resistance Management, and Container Management. Moreover, she adds that CropLife is also looking into behavioral sciences to improve farmers’ behavior in terms of adapting such stewardship programs and will continue to promote safe and responsible use of crop protection and plant biotechnology products.
Moreover, Dr. Lilia Portales, from the Bureau of Plant Industry – Post Approval Monitoring Group (BPI-PAMG) discussed about the Regulatory Guidelines and Post-release monitoring of Biotech Crops; Dr. Leny C. Galvez, Head of the Immunology and and Molecular Biology Laboratory (IMBL) at the Philippine Fiber Industry Development Authority (PhilFIDA) talked about the stewardship program of PhilFIDA in Bt cotton; while Dr. Lourdes Taylo from the University of the Philippines Los Baños, Institute of Plant Breeding (UPLB-IPB) gave details on the stewardship program on Bt eggplant. Mr. Adriel Dave Alvarez, a Biotech corn farmer and a member of the Global Farmer Network, shared his insights about product stewardship from the farmers’ perspective.
During the open discussion, one of the key points raised was the proliferation of unregistered GM seeds. This is a critical issue in terms of product stewardship and it is essential that the government addresses this concern to prolong the effectiveness of the GM technology. Representatives from BPI and the Fertilizer and Pesticide Authority (FPA) have taken note of this issue and will look further into it.
For more information about the event, please contact ISAAA, Inc at info@isaaa.org or visit their website at https://www.isaaa.org/.