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The Philippines - Spouses Jack and Socorro Caindec moved to Barangay
Buhol-na-Manga here five years ago to start a sweet corn plantation. Their
venture failed due to pests, February 2007 by Dino Balabo.

They didn?t give up, and instead started attending seminars on corn
production that tackles new technologies and breeds. Last year, they tried
Bt corn or transgenic corn and it made a difference.

During the corn harvest festival here on Friday, Benigno Cruz, the hybrid
corn program coordinator of the Provincial Agriculture Office (PAO),
computed the total yield from Caindec?s and found out that the one-hectare
corn farm yielded eight to 10 tons this crop season.

"Makakabawi na kami ngayon (We can recover now)," said Soccorro, noting the
losses they had when they planted sweet corn.

Bt corn seeds are more expensive but Socorro said they invested heavily on
Bt corn because they have seen its advantage over other breeds.

One is the absence of a pest called corn borer because Bt corn and other
transgenic crops contain a gene that controls the pests. In the case of Bt
corn, the gene is taken from the naturally occurring bacterium called
Baccillus Thuringiensis (Bt).

Experts said the Bt gene produces Cry protein, which is the active substance
that kills corn borers.

Alex Santos and Gil David, both members of the GMA corn program of the
Department of Agriculture Central Luzon office, told The STAR that Bulacan
has a good potential for large-scale production of corn due to its rolling
terrains, especially in the Eastern part of the province.

Bulacan is formerly a rice-producing province, but increasing land
conversion and erratic irrigation and water supply reduced its capability to
produce rice.

This led the provincial government to refocus farm productivity by shifting
to high-value commercial crops (HVCC) and corn production. On Friday, Gov.
Josie dela Cruz gave away at least 100 sacks of hybrid and Bt corn seeds to
be planted by local farmers here.

[www.abs-cbnnews.com]