Frenzee Pammit

Biotechnology : Issues and Concerns Biotechnology has become a tool to solve major global problems. It has contributed to the advancement in the field of research, medicine, and agriculture. Despite the unceasing rise in the adoption of biotech and its products, biotech products and its applications have been constantly stirring debates and discussions throughout the years due to issues and concerns inherent to the technology and those that transcends from it. These issues and concerns, if not properly addressed, may hamper the maximization of benefits from GM products. Access to technology by various stakeholders is one of the major social issues on modern biotechnology. Intellectual Property Rights (IPRs) provided to products and applications of modern biotech are allegedly impeding stakeholders for accessing the technology and its products. Farmers are the final end users of agricultural biotech products, thus, it is important that the products are accessible to them. Researches are the source of improvements and developments of new products, hence, IPR regimes should not hinder researchers from using patented products and technologies. The consumers should also be well informed about modern biotech and its products must be affordable and accessible to those who want to adopt it. Since big companies own patent of biotechnologies, biotech products are more expensive in order to recover investments. However, higher cost does not hamper the use of biotech products by farmers. For example, Bt corn seeds cost twice as much as the ordinary corn. Despite the high investment cost to seeds, Bt corn has an increasing adoption rate of about 3-5% annually and more than 800 000 ha is already planted with Bt corn. Furthermore, farmers are also businessmen. They will not adopt a technology if they would not be able to realize high profit. This means that farmers are willing to buy biotech products despite its high cost because the profit that they can obtain is significantly higher compared when using conventional counterparts. Multinational corporations are accused of controlling the production of GM products. It is not only the GM products that are produced by multinational corporations, but also other goods and services (eg. cars). Multinational corporations are the one producing GM products because they have enough resources to produce them. However, the government is strictly regulating the prices of commodities. Thus, the accessibility of biotech products to farmers is managed. Continuous institutional efforts, however, should be made to make biotech products more accessible to poor farmers. IPR regimes do not hamper research endeavors. Research exemption is allowed, thus, innovations and new developments and inventions are not prevented by IPRs. This means that research can use technologies/products of modern biotech whether patented or not. In case the researcher decided to commercialize the product of the research, licensing can be granted provided that it follows the law. Most developing countries also have the freedom to operate since technologies are not usually patented here. Material Transfer Agreements (MTAs) can also be used by researchers in order to obtain materials/information for their research. To prevent conflict, however, monitoring of the existing regulations of IPR should be properly enforced. Besides, the lack of access to GM products is not the culprit since IT and internet is so advanced that allows information to be at your fingertips. It is the lack of knowledge and funding that hamper research endeavors. Thus, private sectors having the resources should collaborate and allow technology sharing to public institutions. Biotech products are made easily available to consumers since most of the products in the market are derived from GM products. Despite the rigorous and intense assessment in order to make sure that they are safe, the consumers still have the freedom to adopt GM products or not. This is a little bit challenging since there is no concept of labeling of GM products due to the assumption that GM products are “as safe as” their conventional counterpart. Thus, the only way to get out of this issue is to educate consumers that GM products are safe to consume. Biodiversity is being protected from the issues of biopiracy and bioprospecting by existing treaties and laws (EO 247 and CBD). Conservation of the environment and sustainable use of its components are promoted under CBD. Parties to the CBD, including the Philippines, are required to get permission from the country who owns the biological resources if any party is interested to exploit a certain genetic resource. Furthermore, EO 247 protects indigenous people by requiring interested party to ask permission to the indigenous community and local government before prospecting biological resources in ancestral lands. Under this law, genetic resources cannot be exploited for commercial purposes unless Commercial Research Agreement (CRA) is issued. These existing laws that protect biodiversity and indigenous communities should be strictly implemented and monitored. The access to biotechnology and its products by stakeholder is one of the major concerns attached to biotechnology. Through intensified information dissemination and improving rules and regulation regarding the utilization of biotechnology, these issues can be addressed. With the advent of biotechnology in solving critical problems around the world, issues and concerns cannot be prevented, but should not be tolerated.