The transgenics are again in the center of the national discussion, after the congressmen of Avanza País Edward Málaga, Alejandro Cavero and Adriana Tudelawill present a bill that seeks to repeal the current moratorium up to 2035 for genetically modified entry and production.
From leftist sectors have criticized the proposal, since they warn that it could mean a risk for biodiversity and food wealth that characterizes Peru. However, it is also true that, according to FAO, 51.7% of Peruvians are in food insecurity.
What are transgenics?
Transgenic are organisms, generally plants, which have been genetically modified to include genes from other species. This process is carried out to grant them desired characteristics, such as pest resistance, herbicide tolerance or better nutritional quality.
For example, a transgenic plant could have been modified to resist an insect that would normally harm it, which helps increase its production and reduce the use of pesticides. In summary, transgenics are a tool of biotechnology that allows improving certain aspects of organisms by modifying their DNA.
Edward Málaga, scientist and promoter of the proposal, said Peru21 that certain sectors have started a fear campaign to prevent the moratorium from being repealed. He recalled a campaign of renowned Peruvian chefs that in 2020 exhibited Peruvian dishes without their main ingredients, ensuring that would happen if the moratorium was not expanded. “All these horror scenarios are not supported,” he said.
The legislator acknowledged that all technologies have risks. However, he said that the risks warned 40 or 50 years ago on transgenics have already been denied by science. “CThus no one talks about health, now they only talk about biodiversity“He said.
In that sense, he considered that transgenic opponents warn about the replacement of native species of transgenics. “That’s crazy, not because you sow something everything around,” he said.
Malaga stressed that transgenics can facilitate the work to farmers, because the seeds are modified so that they are more resistant to pests. One of the products that are usually used on modified crops is glyphosate, a herbicide.
“You can manipulate a plant to be resistant to glyphosate. If you have a natural, wild plant and you put this herbicide, you will probably get sick to bad grass, but my cotton will be intact,” he said.
“For the farmer it is extremely important, because he leaves a lot of time, a lot of physical work under the sun, to get the bad grass,” he added. In addition, he said that glyphosate is currently used in gardens “regardless of whether the plant is transgenic or not.”
The scientist explained that transgenics are not necessarily a threat to biodiversity, as the detractors say. In that line, he pointed out that corn, for example, “spreads by cross pollination.” That is, if there are different varieties, pollen flies from white corn to purple corn and will fertilize it, obtaining a hybrid product.
However, he indicated that this happens thus the corn is not transgenic: already with the 55 Creole varieties that we have of corn, the farmer must be careful to separate the crops in time and space, or have it physically separated at a certain distance for a certain distance for that the pollen does not arrive. “
“There are already transgenics in Peru”
The legislator said that there are already transgenics in Peru that have been obtained from corn to feed chickens.
“You can buy transgenic corn to feed chickens, but not the plant. So, what the farmers have done is to sow corn, the plant comes out and cross it with that corn. What they have generated is a 50% transgenic corn. …) So what has the moratorium served? “
“Regardless of whether you want or do not want to have transgenics in Peru, there are already. We have to regulate, control, know where they are to avoid those risks,” he said.
Malaga said that opponents to the lifting of the moratorium will say that “Transgenic -free Peru ‘is a brand” and that allowing these genetically modified foods could generate rejection in European markets.
“But if you start the foreign regulation, it does not ask that the country be free of transgenics; he asks that the crop be free of transgenics and, for that, for that, [se requiere] Good practices, certificates and a thousand things that can only pay for them not the poor farmers, but the mediums up, “he said.
The congressman said that in the event that the majority of legislators does not support the lifting of the moratorium, will advocate a partial uprising and by differentiated areas nationwide: “We could say we start with the crops in which there is already a lot of experience in the world : Cotton.
You have to give the debate
Former Agriculture Minister Juan Manuel Benites (2014-2016) considered that the debate on transgenics cannot be postponed. In that sense, he recalled that the moratorium established in 2011 was given that “at that time there was not enough evidence” on the benefits of its use.
“It was said that the moratorium would serve to do the studies and try if transgenic crops damage, and we see that this has not moved practically anything. We simply continue in the insistence of the moratorium by the moratorium,” he said.
“If we put a moratorium to analyze this, to analyze the costs of the measure and nothing has been done, we cannot live with fear simply because someone, especially the left, feels that this is going to bring problems. In any case,? What is your scientific base to say it? “
The exitulatory of the Minagri highlighted the need for an informed debate that involves specific scientists and data to make clear decisions about the use of transgenics. In addition, he acknowledged that, although modern agriculture has improved productivity in terms of exports, traditional agriculture faces productivity problems.
“Productivity jumps have been very low. If that means that productivity could be improved with science, it would be a gain for the country,” he said.
Benites considered that there are still many aspects to be resolved before deciding between continuing with the moratorium or advancing with transgenics, advocating the use of science to make a decision that, it indicates, cannot be postponed.
Does not threaten agro -export
The molecular biologist Luis de Stefano-Beltrán warned this newspaper that the arguments used in 2011 to impose the moratorium to transgenics have already been broken by science. Thus, he indicated that currently those who oppose the genetic modification of crops use erroneous cultural and economic justifications: “For that time, let’s say, the reasons that were wielded were no longer valid in the international scientific community.”
The scientist said that transgenics do not cause environmental or health damage, highlighting that this debate is already closed internationally. He said that activists who oppose the moratorium lifting have ideological bias. However, he considered that there are also other interested groups such as high -end restaurants.
“They want to sell their restaurants to international tourists as they protect biodiversity and that like transgenic -free Peru. But that is a false premise (…) Madrid is a gastronomic capital, it is one of the most important capitals as soon as Gastronomy. transgenic, “he said.
He mentions that Peruvian agro -exports would not be threatened by the entry of transgenics, because “in the world there is no transgenic variety of blueberry, nor of asparagus, nor of piquillo pepper.”
“Just as a human being cannot have children with a chimpanzee or with an orangan, the same in the plants they cannot be crossed between species. (…) A transgenic corn cannot cross with a blueberry, with a piquillo pepper, or with A asparagus, “he explained.
Stefano-Beltrán said that it is also a issue of freedom of the farmers themselves and assured that they must have “the right to sow what you think is the best for your family, for the economy of your home, which is what that can be profitable or not. ” “It is not the state that should tell you this you can sow or this is not. Therefore, I believe that the moratorium should never happen,” he said.
The specialist said that if it is sought to prevent pollen from, for example, a transgenic corn vuele to an un modified corn, simple rules are required such as maintaining a space of 10 meters between plantations.
“In those 10 meters they can sow lettuce or anything, there is no problem,” he said.
The specialist highlighted the benefits of transgenics for agriculture, such as pest resistance. In addition, he pointed out that innovation was difficult for the moratorium in the agricultural sector because companies were prevented from innovating with foreign technology for pest control.
The biologist pointed out that a Peruvian company was willing to pay US $ 1 million to genetically modify an insect that spoiled 50% of crops and ensure that, when they reproduce, only males are born, allocating to a reduction of its species. However, the prohibition of transgenics frustrated that attempt that would have been a milestone in Peruvian agriculture.
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