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Honduras is the only Central American country that allows field testing and commercial production of genetically modified (GM) crops. These crops, Honduran leaders believe, could help its people
Honduras is the only Central American country that allows field testing and commercial production of genetically modified (GM) crops. These crops, Honduran leaders believe, could help its people. Indeed, more than half of Hondurans live in poverty and one fifth of its children live with severe malnutrition, according to the World Bank. The 13-year experiment with biotechnology in Honduras is showing signs of success, says Bob Hoff, agricultural counselor with the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) foreign agricultural service. He points out that the benefits to farmers include less use of pesticides, higher yields and greater profitability. Also, rotating vegetable and fruit crops with GM corn can keep their "export crops…free of pesticide residues and pests," he writes in an e-mail.
Hoff says Honduras stands alone among its neighbors as a producer of GM crops because other Central American countries have either gotten mired down in non-scientific issues or have demanded "prohibitively" costly environmental impact studies. "At the outset of the process to deregulate specific biotech events, [Honduras decided] to base its actions strictly on science and involved local universities in these evaluations," he explains. In the late 1990s, says Maria Mercedes Roca, professor of biotechnology at Zamorano University, the Honduran government asked for help in determining if biotechnology could be a boon to the people. "They didnt want to dismiss it, like other people did," she says. A biosafety committee was formed, comprised of "scientists who had the technical expertise to contribute to these discussions."
After reviewing the literature and conducting risk assessments and environmental studies, the biosafety committee approved the first commercial GM maize in 2003. Today, close to 16,000 hectares have GM plants growing on them. Still, Honduras imports about half its maize. According to a 2010 USDA report, a hectare planted with a corn hybrid yields 3.2 metric tons, while a GM crop yields 8 metric tons. In addition, Roca says that a study of 80 GM-growing farmers showed that they were using 30 percent less pesticide.
Monsanto and Pioneer Hi-Bred International are the only companies involved in GM field trials and sales in Honduras, according to Ricardo Lardizabal, an adviser to Hondurass minister of agriculture. The Pioneer products, says Rodolfo Gomez, the companys biotech regulatory and industry affairs manager for Latin America North, provide insect protection and herbicide tolerance. Pioneer, he explains, has been selling GM products to Honduran farmers since last year, and it is primarily word of mouth that drives the sales.
"By using this technology, [farmers] are more efficient in production. They can benefit themselves and their families," Gomez says. "Its going to be a long-term thing."