Biotechnology seen to aid food security

MANILA, Philippines — The Philippines may still be ill-prepared to take advantage of emerging technologies produced by the Fourth Industrial Revolution (FIRe) but several advancements in biotechnology can help the country boost its food supply, said the Philippine Institute for Development Studies (PIDS).

In a briefing on Friday, PIDS vice president Marife Ballesteros said new biotechnologies are geared towards attaining food security and  early detection of plant diseases that can save crops.

Ballesteros noted, however, that the Philippines still remains skeptical about the wider use of biotechnologies in food production.

“The most promising, I think, is biotechnology. But we have restrictions on the acceptance of production like in GMOs (genetically modified organisms). There is a traditional thinking on the impact of these developments,” she said.

“For example, you can already produce meat in laboratories. In think the key concern there is the acceptance of these products. Biotechnology can help agriculture especially in detection of (plant) diseases through the use of drones. I think this can enhance agriculture,” she added.

Socioeconomic Planning Secretary Ernesto Pernia said that while the country’s current medium term development plan does not specifically tackle adaptation measures for FIRe technologies, it provides for priority strategies in the advancement of science and technology in the country.

“While the Philippine Development Plan 2017-2022 did not ascribe a name to the Fourth Industrial Revolution, the crafters of our Plan knew FIRe is on the horizon. In fact, Chapter 14 of the Plan discusses the priority strategies and outcomes needed to increase the country’s potential growth in science, technology, and innovation or STI ecosystem,” he said Friday.

“Our PDP strategies, especially the STI ecosystem, are essential in building the foundations for a globally competitive knowledge economy. This creates the ripple for significant improvements in the productivity of firms in the sectors of agriculture, industry, and services,” he added.

Ballesteros said that while the country still has a lot do do in terms of capacitating its workforce and addressing labor-related issues with the adoption of FIRe technologies, it is a good start that moving towards adaptation is already on the agenda.

“We still have a lot to do we are quite behind but we are proactive about it because we have included it in out agenda,” she said.